Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park Prospective Residents Ask for Leniency for HDC Hyundai Development Company

Submission of Petition at Seoul City Hall

The prospective residents of Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park, where a collapse accident resulted in seven casualties, are submitting a petition to the Seoul Metropolitan Government ahead of an administrative action, pleading for leniency toward the construction company, HDC Hyundai Development Company (HDC).

Gwangju Seo-gu Hwajeong I-Park demolition site. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park Prospective Residents' Association on the 19th, they visited Seoul City Hall at 2 p.m. that day to deliver a petition requesting an appropriate administrative measure for HDC.

The petition, signed by 760 out of 847 households, states, "The prospective residents believe that HDC has sufficiently reflected and taken measures to prevent recurrence over the past three years, and has essentially suffered all possible disadvantages."

It also includes the statement, "While legal punishment for the accident is justified, the company needs management stability to fulfill its promise to demolish and reconstruct the building. We sincerely hope that the authorities will deeply consider the situation of the prospective residents and refrain from imposing excessively harsh administrative actions."

Meanwhile, on January 11, 2022, at around 3:46 p.m., a collapse occurred at Building 201 of Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park, which was under construction by HDC Hyundai Development Company in Seo-gu. The 39th floor, which was being concreted, collapsed, resulting in the deaths of six workers and injuries to one. Investigations revealed that the accident was caused by a combination of unauthorized changes to construction methods without structural review and the arbitrary removal of shoring that supported the upper floors.

Three years after the accident, on the 20th of last month, the court sentenced those responsible?including HDC and subcontractor site managers?to up to four years in prison. However, HDC's former CEO and other executives, who were indicted on the same charges, were acquitted on the grounds that they were not directly responsible for the accident.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has stated that it would determine the level of administrative action against HDC after reviewing the first trial verdict, which has been postponed for three years. The decision is expected to be made soon after a hearing and other procedures.

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