President Lee Jae-myung asked Mayor of Osan, Lee Kwon-jae, on the 18th regarding the retaining wall collapse that occurred in Osan City, 'What was the reason for not fully blocking the road despite receiving reports from residents?' This statement was made as a reprimand while emphasizing 'discipline in the public service' regarding natural disasters such as heavy rain and heat waves.
According to Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jeong of the Presidential office, President Lee held an emergency inspection meeting on heavy rain response at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters in Government Seoul Complex, checking the scale of rain damage and response status from central ministries and local governments.
Earlier, around 7 p.m. on the 16th, a 10-meter high retaining wall at the Gajang Intersection overpass in Osan City collapsed. The bricks that fell at that time struck a passing passenger car below, resulting in the death of a 40-year-old man. The day before the accident, a resident complaint was received by the Osan City Traffic Department regarding 'the right portion of the second lane from Osan to Segyo on the overpass is subsiding.' The police also reported a 'risk of ground subsidence' to the Osan City side around 5 p.m., approximately 2 hours before the accident occurred.
President Lee started with a report from the Korea Meteorological Administration, receiving updates on damage status from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and from local governments. At this meeting, local government leaders noted the significant limitations in disaster preparedness at the local level, requesting close cooperation from the central government, according to Spokesperson Kang. They also pointed out the need for central government budget support regarding reservoir dredging and recurring flooding of covered roads.
In his opening remarks that day, President Lee said, 'The primary duty of the country is to protect the lives and safety of the people,' and added, 'All resources and administrative power must be mobilized to prevent accidents to the extent that it may seem excessive.' He continued, 'It is a situation that can be sufficiently anticipated, yet there are cases where human casualties occurred due to poor response. Ensure that such an incident does not happen again.'