Experts to Be Dispatched When Signs of Ground Subsidence Detected... Strengthening Operation of "Underground Safety Advisory Panel"

Seoul Signs Agreement with Academic Societies on Ground Safety
Experts to Inspect Sites and Establish Recovery Plans

The operation of Seoul's "Underground Safety Advisory Panel," which dispatches experts to inspect sites when signs of ground subsidence are detected, will be strengthened.

On August 14 at 2:00 p.m., the city signed a "Business Agreement for the Prevention and Response to Ground Subsidence" with the Korean Society of Civil Engineers, the Korean Geotechnical Society, and the Korean Tunneling and Underground Space Association at Seoul City Hall.

This agreement was promoted in response to the increasing need for a specialized response system for underground safety, as ground subsidence incidents have continued to occur nationwide due to recent climate change and urban development.

Yonhap News

The city and the three academic societies plan to enhance the expertise and on-site response capabilities of the Underground Safety Advisory Panel, which investigates the causes of ground subsidence incidents. When signs of subsidence are detected or an incident occurs and expert inspection is needed, the advisory panel will be dispatched to the site to analyze the cause and, based on the investigation results, establish recovery plans and measures to prevent recurrence.

The advisory panel is composed of private-sector experts in fields such as geotechnical and civil engineering. When ground subsidence above a certain scale occurs, the panel visits the site and provides expert opinions. The criteria for sites subject to advisory review have been strengthened beyond the current legal standard of "an incident area of 1 square meter or more." The new criteria include: areas with a subsidence area of 0.8 square meters or more, or a depth of 0.8 meters or more, or where there has been injury or loss of life; and areas where ground subsidence has occurred repeatedly at excavation sites and adjacent roads, or at the same location.

In addition, the city has agreed with the three academic societies to conduct empirical research based on ground subsidence cases and to continue activities such as workshops, seminars, and forums to strengthen underground safety.

Kim Seongbo, Seoul's Second Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, stated, "Because ground subsidence is directly linked to citizen safety, we will establish a prevention-centered safety management system based on close cooperation with experts." He added, "Through the expert-led Underground Safety Advisory Panel, we will minimize damage from ground subsidence and create a safer Seoul where citizens can feel secure."

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