Korea East-West Power (EWP) and HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co. officially apologized to the public and the bereaved families on the 13th over the collapse at the Ulsan thermal power plant. It came a week after the accident. East-West Power is the ordering party for the demolition work of the boiler tower where the collapse occurred.
Kwon Myeong-ho, president of East-West Power, held a press conference in front of the accident site that morning and apologized, saying, "We are deeply sorry for causing concern to the public. We pray for the repose of those who lost their lives and extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families."
Kwon said, "All executives and employees are doing everything companywide to support the bereaved families and victims and to ensure a swift response at the site, working in cooperation with the construction parties. We will identify the cause of the accident clearly and prepare effective measures based on the results."
He added, "The decommissioning and dismantling of aging power facilities is an unavoidable task. We will reexamine all procedures in the decommissioning process and establish safety as the top priority so that the pain of this accident is not repeated."
Asked by reporters about legal liability, Kwon answered, "The relevant agencies are investigating, and we will take responsibility for what we must depending on the outcome."
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co., the contractor, also issued an apology at the accident site that day. Kim Wan-seok, CEO of HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co., said, "We offer an apology with a heart of carving our bones to the bereaved families who have suffered an indelible wound for life. We are pouring all our capabilities into returning the last missing person to the arms of family. We will complete the rescue operation as soon as possible and then share our position again."
At about 2:02 p.m. on the 6th, boiler tower No. 5, measuring 63 meters high, 25 meters wide, and 15.5 meters long, at East-West Power's Ulsan thermal power plant collapsed. Of the nine workers at the site at the time, two were rescued alive, while seven were buried. Of the seven who were buried, the bodies of six have been recovered, and one remains missing.