Kim Dong-yeon, Who Paid Respects to Victims of Gwangmyeong Collapse, Says "Underground Is Now Dangerous Due to Urban Overdevelopment"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon stated, "The underground areas are currently at risk due to indiscriminate urban development," and added, "Gyeonggi Province will do its best to ensure the safety of its residents."

On the 17th, after paying respects to Mr. A, a victim of the Shinansan Line collapse accident, Governor Kim met with reporters at the funeral hall of Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital and said, "We recovered the last missing person who was buried in the Shinansan Line collapse accident, but I came to offer condolences as he passed away," expressing, "I am deeply saddened."

He continued, "I visited the site and really wanted to rescue him alive, but having to recover him like this pains me deeply," and added, "I came to pray for his soul and to offer comfort to the bereaved family."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is speaking with reporters after visiting the funeral hall at Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital on the 17th. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

He also expressed concern, saying, "The underground of our cities is currently dangerous. There are railways, electricity, gas, water, and many other things all together underground in our cities, but no control tower really knows what is happening beneath our land."

Furthermore, he stated, "Taking this incident as an opportunity, we will conduct a comprehensive inspection of potential risk factors underground in the cities of Gyeonggi Province, and we promise to do our utmost to ensure there are no safety issues for our citizens and residents," and pledged, "We will take this incident as a lesson and do our best to preemptively eliminate underground risk factors that may arise from indiscriminate urban development."

Earlier, Mr. A, a worker in his 50s, was found dead at a depth of 21 meters underground at 8:11 p.m. on the 16th, 125 hours after the accident occurred, and was transported to Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital.

Meanwhile, Governor Kim Dong-yeon was on leave that day for the Democratic Party presidential primary but visited the funeral hall after hearing the news about Mr. A the previous day.

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