Incheon City to Conduct Detailed Inspections of 229km Including Underpasses: "Proactive Response to Sinkholes"

by Park Haesook

Published 27 Apr.2026 09:19(KST)

The Incheon city government announced on April 27 that it will conduct Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys as a proactive measure to address ground collapse (sinkhole) incidents.

Starting next month and over the next six months, the city plans to conduct detailed inspections of 229 kilometers of roadways, including 187 kilometers of roadways and 42 kilometers of sidewalks, focusing on underpasses and roads requested by local districts.

In particular, since underpasses are structurally more likely to result in significant human and property damage if accidents occur, the city will implement a specialized and differentiated inspection system for underpasses compared to general roads, thereby strengthening its safety management measures.

The investigation will utilize GPR equipment, which emits electromagnetic waves underground and analyzes the returning signals. This method allows the city to determine the condition of underground facilities and identify the presence and size of cavities, all without excavation.

In December last year, a sinkhole occurred in Seo-gu, Incheon, and restoration work is underway. Provided by Seo-gu, Incheon.

If cavities are detected, the city will analyze the causes in high-risk areas through drilling and internal video inspections, and will restore them by injecting eco-friendly, flowable fill materials.

Additionally, the data collected during the survey will be reflected in the "survey section and underground facility location map," linked to the city's Geographic Information System (GIS), and used as foundational data for establishing a systematic underground safety management system.

The number of officially recorded sinkholes in Incheon dropped from 20 cases in 2020 to 2 in 2021, 1 in 2022, 2 in 2023, and 3 in 2024, but in the first half of last year alone, there were 8 cases.

An official from the Incheon city government stated, "We will proactively eliminate hidden underground risk factors to create an urban environment where citizens can feel safe."