Seoul gov't issued warning three months before deadly overpass collapse, document shows

Seoul city officials visited the Seosomun Overpass demolition site and issued a safety warning three months before a section of the structure came down and killed three people, according to a document obtained by a lawmaker on Thursday. 

The warning had stressed the need for strict on-site management to prevent serious industrial accidents such as falls and workers being crushed.

On Tuesday afternoon, a section of Seosomun Overpass collapsed during demolition work. The overpass, which was built in 1966, was being dismantled due to safety concerns. Demolition began on Aug. 17 last year and was scheduled for completion in early June.

On March 6, a notice document obtained by the Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Geon-young’s office from the Ministry of Employment and Labor showed that the Seoul Metropolitan Government carried out a safety inspection at the Seosomun Overpass demolition site. 

The project was about 55 percent complete at the time of the inspection. By the time the accident occurred, progress had exceeded 88 percent.  

The inspection notice issued around the same time  highlighted the importance of complying with the demolition plan during dismantling work. A demolition plan is a document in the construction and civil engineering sectors that outlines work procedures, equipment to be used and measures to address risks such as structural collapse.

“Disasters such as collapses frequently occur due to failure to comply with demolition plans during structural dismantling work,” Seoul city stated in the document. “Please ensure thorough compliance with and management of demolition plans to guarantee safety.”

The notice was delivered to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's urban infrastructure headquarters, which ordered the construction project, as well as to the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency.

The construction company is understood to have prepared a demolition plan that included site surveys, dismantling methods, equipment specifications and demolition work flow charts.

However, police are expected to investigate whether the demolition plan itself was poorly prepared and whether the work actually followed the plan.  

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is currently securing related materials, including the demolition plan, from the Seoul city government through voluntary submission procedures.

The inspection notice also stressed ensuring the prevention of serious industrial accidents.  

“Authorities responsible for permits and construction orders must ensure on-site management to prevent serious industrial accidents caused by falls, entrapment, slipping, collisions and crushing, while also protecting workers during the thawing season,” the notice said.  

Lawmaker Yoon raised questions on whether authorities acknowledged the seriousness of the warning despite the possibility of a collapse having already been recognized.  

“This heartbreaking accident should serve as an opportunity to correct the broader lack of safety awareness throughout the Seoul city government,” Yoon said.  

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY LEE AH-MI, KIM JEONG-JAE [[email protected]]