'Heavy Rain Chaos...' 6 out of 10 Underground Underpasses Lack Entry Blockage Facilities

238 Underground Underpasses Subject to Mandatory Installation Not Yet Built

Assemblyman Yang Bu-nam: "Must Make Every Effort to Prevent Disasters Nationwide"

It has been a year since the Osong underpass disaster occurred, but it has been revealed that six out of ten underpasses, where the installation of entry blocking facilities is mandatory, still lack the related facilities.

Entry blocking facilities are devices that automatically block vehicle entry when water inside the underpass rises above 15 cm, preventing accidents.

According to data received by Yang Bu-nam, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 18th, out of 402 underpasses nationwide subject to mandatory installation of entry blocking facilities (excluding underpasses under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport), only 164 locations (40.5%) have actually installed the facilities.

Although more than a year has passed since the Osong disaster, this means that 238 underpasses still lack the necessary entry blocking facilities to prevent similar accidents.

The Osong disaster occurred on July 15 last year at around 8:40 a.m., when the Miho River embankment near the Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju City, burst, flooding the underpass. Seventeen vehicles, including city buses passing through the underpass, were submerged, resulting in 14 deaths.

At that time, vehicle control was delayed, and it was found that there were no vehicle blocking facilities or remote blocking systems installed, and the drainage facilities also operated inadequately.

In response, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety designated 402 out of 995 underpasses nationwide as mandatory for entry blocking facility installation and is promoting their construction.

The installation rate of entry blocking facilities varied significantly depending on the local government. Chungbuk recorded the highest installation rate, having installed entry blocking facilities at 22 out of 25 mandatory locations (88.0%). Seoul installed them at 35 out of 59 locations (59.3%), and Gyeongnam at 19 out of 33 locations (57.6%).

On the other hand, Gyeonggi installed facilities at only 23 out of 112 locations, achieving just 20.5%. Sejong installed them at 3 out of 16 locations, and Jeonnam at only 1 out of 10 locations. In Daegu, although 21 locations were subject to mandatory installation, not a single facility has been installed. Daegu City announced that only 3 entry blocking facilities are planned to be installed within this year.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 33 entry blocking facilities were installed this year, and an additional 99 are planned to be constructed by the end of the year.

After 2025, installation for the remaining 139 locations will be gradually promoted according to the budget situation of local governments.

Assemblyman Yang Bu-nam emphasized, "It has been more than a year since the Osong disaster, and heavy rain is forecast nationwide starting this week. Since this issue is directly related to the lives of the people, we must do our utmost to prevent such disasters."

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