Gyeonggi Province Conducts Joint Inspections for Thawing Season, Identifies 75 Improvements at 33 Sites

Gyeonggi Province, in preparation for the thawing season, has completed on-site inspections of 33 underground development sites across 14 cities and counties, together with its “Gyeonggi-do Underground Safety Guardians.”

A view of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

The inspections were carried out from February 24 to March 18. As a result, 75 areas for improvement were identified at the underground development sites. Of these, 63 issues have already been resolved, including strengthening the frequency of monitoring during blasting operations and installing additional drainage pumps to prepare for rainfall. The remaining 12 items are scheduled to be completed during April 2026.

The “Gyeonggi-do Underground Safety Guardians” is a policy first implemented nationwide by the province in 2020 to prevent ground subsidence accidents. Forty-two civilian experts in fields such as soil, geology, and structural engineering participate in the program, providing specialized personnel to support on-site inspections at underground development sites in cities and counties.

The number of ground subsidence cases in Gyeonggi Province has steadily declined, from 79 cases in 2018 to 26 cases in 2025, with the activities of the Gyeonggi-do Underground Safety Guardians contributing to the prevention of such accidents.

Starting on April 20, 2026, the province plans to verify whether the inspection results for the thawing season have been properly applied in the field.

Lee Euncheol, Director of Construction Safety Technology at Gyeonggi Province, stated, “As public interest in underground safety has increased due to reports of ground subsidence accidents, we will conduct thorough inspections to ensure that underground development projects are carried out safely. Gyeonggi Province, city and county governments, and experts will work together to do our utmost to prevent ground subsidence accidents.”

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