[Exclusive] Slippery Pavement Blocks in Haman Remain ‘As Is’ Despite Fracture Accidents

County Office: "Application of Anti-Slip Agent, Considering Alternative Measures"

It was recently revealed that Ham-an County in Gyeongnam failed to take action for over a year despite complaints that people slipped and fractured bones after stepping on ‘sidewalk blocks’ made of smooth-surfaced material.

According to our investigation, in the winter of 2022, a Ham-an resident, Ms. A, slipped on a sidewalk block while walking on a sidewalk in Gaya-eup and injured her arm, including a broken wrist.

A complaint submitted by a resident of Haman County, Gyeongnam, to the National Sinmungo. [Image source=National Sinmungo]

A’s child, Mr. B, stated that after seeing his mother struggle with long-term treatment and daily life difficulties, he filed a complaint through the national petition system the following year, requesting measures to prevent slipperiness of the sidewalk blocks.

Through his post, Mr. B said, “The sidewalk blocks depicting cultural heritage are very slippery when it rains or snows,” adding, “There are people who have been injured from slipping on those blocks. I hope they will be replaced.”

He added, “If replacing the sidewalk blocks is difficult due to budget issues, I hope other anti-slip measures will be put in place.”

Anti-slip tape is attached to the pavement blocks featuring artifacts excavated from Haman Aragay in the streets of Gaya-eup, Haman-gun, Gyeongnam.
[Photo by Reader]

The sidewalk blocks on which Ms. A slipped are stone slabs smoothly carved with artifacts from the Ara Gaya period, managed by Ham-an County.

They are installed in about 1,300 locations, including the Gaya-eup intersection and Ssamtzi Park, featuring images such as wheel-shaped pottery, flame-patterned footed plates, house-shaped pottery, and boat-shaped pottery excavated in the county.

At the time, the county office department in charge responded, “It has been confirmed that the stone slab sidewalk blocks can become slippery when slippers or similar footwear with slippery soles come into contact on rainy days,” and added, “We are reviewing plans for anti-slip measures.”

However, as of May this year, the county office has yet to present any concrete prevention measures.

As a result, nearby merchants have temporarily attached anti-slip tape on the sidewalk blocks, or residents avoid walking on those blocks altogether.

Mr. B said, “The responsible department was aware of the slipping risk and reassured the complainant that they were reviewing countermeasure plans, but months passed without any changes, so I posted about it,” adding, “Even though a resident was injured, they did not verify the facts or ask about the accident location.”

“If they know it’s slippery, shouldn’t they do something?” he said. “To the point that residents had to put anti-slip stickers on the sidewalk blocks themselves.”

“When it snows, the ground is hard to see. Besides, who would wear slippers when it’s snowing?” he questioned. “This year, it has rained unusually often. Does someone have to get seriously hurt before they fix the problem after the fact?”

Mr. B appealed, “My mother injured her wrist, but someone else could hurt their back or head. Since Ham-an has a relatively large elderly population, the risk of falls is high. Please take swift action so residents can walk safely.”

A civil complaint raising concerns about the danger of the artifact paving blocks excavated in Haman, Gyeongnam. [Image source=Haman County Office, Voice of the Citizens bulletin board]

The complaint about anti-slip measures for the sidewalk blocks was also posted on the county office’s ‘Voice of the Citizens’ bulletin board in July 2022.

The complainant said, “It feels like walking on a precarious ice rink whenever it rains,” and added, “Promoting culture is good, but shouldn’t citizen safety come first?” However, the responsible department replied, “It was confirmed that slipperiness does not occur under normal circumstances, so the blocks were installed,” and “Although there may be inconveniences, please understand that they were installed to enhance the aesthetics of the pedestrian road and to promote artifacts excavated in our county.”

In an interview with our paper, a current official in charge said, “We have received similar complaints through other departments, and some blocks have been flipped so the opposite side faces up,” adding, “It would be ideal to replace them entirely, but considering budget and construction time, immediate replacement seems difficult.”

The official said, “We plan to spray anti-slip agents on all 1,300 sidewalk blocks next week,” and “Tests have confirmed that applying the anti-slip agent reduces slipperiness even when wet, so we expect it to be effective.”

Additionally, “We will also prepare other measures to ensure citizens can walk safely,” and “We will carefully review related complaints and take appropriate actions,” the official stated.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.