Ministry of Land to Conduct Special Inspections at 100 Urban Excavation Sites

by Choi Daeyul

Published 29 Apr.2026 11:00(KST)

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will conduct special inspections of 100 urban excavation sites from April 30 until the end of June. This measure is intended to prevent the increasing number of ground subsidence accidents during the rainy season. Inspection targets were selected from projects that have completed underground safety assessment consultations, taking into account factors such as excavation progress and construction site locations.

The Ministry, together with five Regional Land Management Offices, local governments, the Korea Infrastructure Safety and Technology Corporation, Korea Expressway Corporation, and private experts, will participate. Joint inspections will be carried out at urban construction sites with excavation depths of 10 meters or more, as well as at railway and urban railway construction sites.

To ensure that construction sites can be safely managed even during heavy rainfall, inspections will cover the status of temporary retaining wall installations, compliance with groundwater level monitoring, the condition of the ground near construction sites, and whether rainwater and sewage pipes have been damaged.

Last August, a sinkhole occurred on a road in Jongno-gu, Seoul, causing traffic to be controlled. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In order to prevent accidents similar to the ground subsidence caused by poor soil compaction in Busan this April, additional ground surveys will be conducted near large-scale construction sites where backfilling was completed within the past year. This is to check road conditions and the presence of underground voids.

If any abnormal signs are detected, the relevant local government will be immediately notified so that restoration measures can be taken. Any violations will be dealt with strictly. Kim Seokki, Director General of Construction Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "Since risk factors around construction sites can increase during the rainy season, we will conduct more thorough inspections of urban excavation sites and promptly address any shortcomings."