Chuncheon City to Intensively Inspect 89 Vulnerable Facilities During Thawing Season...Preemptive Response to Ground Weakening Accidents

From February 23 to April 10
Targeting retaining walls, bridges, and construction sites
Joint inspection teams with private-sector experts
All-out efforts to prevent rockfalls and collapses in advance

Chuncheon City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Yuk Donghan) will launch intensive inspections of vulnerable facilities during the thawing season to prevent safety accidents in advance caused by weakened ground conditions.

View of Chuncheon City Hall.

Chuncheon City will carry out the "2026 Thawing Season Vulnerable Facilities Safety Inspection" from February 23 to April 10. During the thawing period, as the frozen ground surface melts, the ground becomes weaker, which increases the risk of various accidents such as the collapse of aging retaining walls, rockfalls on cut slopes, and the failure of earth-retaining structures at construction sites. Taking these seasonal risk factors into account, the city plans to respond preemptively.

The inspections will cover 89 vulnerable facilities during the thawing season, including aging retaining walls, bridges, and construction sites. The city selected key management targets by comprehensively considering past accident records, degree of aging, and frequency of use. In addition to self-inspections conducted by the facility management departments, joint inspections will be carried out by a "Safety Management Advisory Group" that includes private-sector experts in industrial safety and civil engineering. The inspection teams will conduct on-site checks focusing on thawing-season-specific items such as structural cracks, ground settlement, and drainage conditions.

Minor risk factors will be corrected immediately on site, while facilities requiring detailed diagnosis or repair and reinforcement will first undergo emergency measures, followed by prompt budget allocation for improvements. After the inspections, the city will continuously manage the establishment and implementation of repair and reinforcement plans, and conduct re-inspections if necessary.

Kim Youngkyu, Director of Disaster and Safety, said, "The thawing season is a time when the risk of accidents caused by ground subsidence is high," adding, "We will create a safer Chuncheon where citizens can live with peace of mind through preemptive inspections of vulnerable facilities and thorough follow-up management."

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