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Worker death Monday just latest in string of maintenance hole mishaps

Published: 25 Aug. 2025, 15:02 Updated: 25 Aug. 2025, 17:38

First responders and firefighters conduct rescue operations for a worker who was swept into a maintenance hole at a street in Yeomchang-dong, Gangseo District, western Seoul on Aug. 25. [YONHAP]

A worker who was swept into a maintenance hole during upkeep in heavy rain on Monday morning died after being rescued in a state of cardiac arrest, reigniting concerns over the lack of safety installations in maintenance holes.

A report was received at 8:38 a.m. Monday that a 47-year-old man working on a maintenance hole near Baekseok Children’s Park in Yeomchang-dong, Gangseo District, western Seoul, had been swept into the maintenance hole, according to fire authorities.

The man was discovered at 9:42 a.m. at the Gayang Rainwater Pumping Station, about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the site. He was not transported to a hospital and remained at the scene.

The man had been performing maintenance work on the maintenance hole to improve drainage conditions. A total of five people were working at the site, but the other four were unharmed.

The project was part of a sewer reinforcement initiative commissioned by the Gangseo District Office. The work began in June and was scheduled to continue through December. Police are investigating the details of the accident based on statements from co-workers.

Maintenance hole-related casualties have recurred during the summer rainy season. At 11:20 p.m. on Aug. 3, a 25-year-old surnamed Kim fell into a maintenance hole on a road in Ssangchon-dong, Seo District, Gwangju, and was rescued by firefighters with minor injuries.

On July 17, a senior citizen was rescued by a passerby after getting stuck in a maintenance hole opening in Sotae-dong, Dong District, Gwangju. Incidents where rainwater overflows onto roads or dislodges maintenance hole covers have also continued to occur.

First responders and firefighters conduct rescue operations for a worker who was swept into a manhole at a street in Yeomchang-dong, Gangseo District, western Seoul on Aug. 25. [YONHAP]

In August 2022, during record rainfall, a middle-aged brother and sister were swept into a maintenance hole and died in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.

Following that incident, the government revised sewer design standards in December 2022 to mandate the installation of fall-prevention facilities in flood-prone areas. However, the regulation only applied to newly installed maintenance holes.

As of June this year, only 62,000 of approximately 327,000 maintenance holes in key management zones were equipped with such safety features, accounting for just 21.7 percent.

In response, the Ministry of Environment on July 30 announced it would mandate fall-prevention facilities for existing maintenance holes in areas at risk of flooding. The ministry also recommended that local governments be allowed to outsource maintenance of storm drains, which are considered a major cause of flooding, depending on their resources.

Until now, only one or two local government officials have been assigned to manage storm drains, raising concerns that thorough maintenance is realistically unfeasible.

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 YOUNG-KEUN [[email protected]]