GTX Rebar Omission: "Oh Concealed Shoddy Construction" vs "Election Season Scandal"

The Administrative Safety Committee Becomes a Prelude to the Seoul Mayoral Election

The ruling and opposition parties clashed over the omission of rebar at Samsung Station on the Metropolitan Express Railroad (GTX)-A line, which has emerged as a major issue in the upcoming June 3 local election for Seoul mayor. The camp of Democratic Party candidate Jung Wonoh raised questions about the responsibility of People Power Party candidate Oh Sehoon, who currently oversees Seoul city administration, while Oh's camp countered by denouncing it as groundless rumors.

Jung Wonoh, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, along with members of the Democratic Party's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and the Public Administration and Security Committee, toured the underground mixed-use development site along Yeongdong-daero in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a section of the metropolitan express railroad (GTX)-A line where rebar omission and poor construction occurred on the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

At the plenary session of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee held in the morning of the 18th, allegations involving candidates from both parties—such as the poor construction at GTX-A Samsung Station and the assault incident—became focal points of debate. The meeting was attended by Yoon Hojoong, Minister of the Interior and Safety; Yoo Jaesung, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency; and Lim Chunkeun, director of the Seoul Urban Infrastructure Headquarters.

Lee Haesik, an assemblyman of the Democratic Party, stated, "This is the largest civil engineering project ever undertaken in South Korea, so how could the mayor of Seoul not be aware of such poor construction? If candidate Oh is knowingly lying on broadcasts by saying it was merely a construction company's mistake or that he didn't know, it constitutes the dissemination of false information under election law."

He then asked Acting Commissioner Yoo, "If there is a complaint, should an investigation be conducted?" Acting Commissioner Yoo replied, "If a complaint is filed, the police plan to investigate."

In the same party, Assemblyman Chae Hyunil said, "The ultimate person responsible for safety in Seoul is the mayor, and the mayor is responsible for all safety accidents that occur in the city." He continued, "What is more serious is that the accident site was neglected for six months after the incident, and the mayor was not even briefed during that time. Whether the report was concealed or simply not delivered, both cases reflect incompetence and a lack of safety awareness."

On the 18th, at the Administrative Safety Committee plenary meeting held in the National Assembly, Park Sumin (left) and Park Chungkwon of the People Power Party are removing a placard containing allegations regarding the assault incident involving Jung Wono, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the other hand, Assemblywoman Cho Eunhee of the People Power Party said, "According to the report that Seoul City submitted to the National Railroad Corporation, errors in the construction process were reported three times."

Assemblyman Ko Dongjin of the People Power Party also stated, "The Democratic Party keeps insisting that Seoul City intentionally delayed notifying the National Railroad Corporation, the contractor, but that's not true. With the election approaching, many are trying to turn this into a rumor—let's refrain from that."

Previously, Hyundai Engineering & Construction became aware of rebar omissions at the GTX-A Samsung Station transfer center last November and reported this to Seoul City. It was revealed that rebar was missing from 50 out of 80 columns in the five-story underground platform section. By March, Seoul City had formed an advisory council including external experts, conducted site inspections, and reviewed the adequacy of reinforcement plans. Last month, the city reported its findings to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which subsequently announced that it had initiated an emergency site inspection and audit.

Meanwhile, immediately after the opening of the plenary session, assembly members from the People Power Party attached stickers to their laptops with phrases such as 'Cancun junket,' 'Forced overnight stay,' and 'Police assault,' alluding to allegations surrounding candidate Jung's assault incident, which sparked protests from Democratic Party lawmakers.

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