The Seoul Metropolitan Government was put under audit over allegations that it learned of missing rebar in the GTX-A Samseong Station section of the metropolitan express railway but reported it to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport only belatedly. Over this, exchanges are heating up between Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor, and Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor.

Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral candidate, visits the GTX-A Samseong Station section with "missing rebar" in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 17th and inspects the rebar./Courtesy of News1

On the morning of the 17th, after an emergency visit to the construction site and a look around, Chong said, "Even though problems occurred in the construction on the fifth basement level, work has proceeded up to the third floor," noting it was "in a state where safety reinforcement has not been carried out."

He added, "They say the line that took overall responsibility and approved it is at the Deputy Minister level, which clearly shows how the Seoul Metropolitan Government views the safety issue right now."

Chong's side repeatedly asked, "When did you first receive a report on this shoddy construction and poor workmanship situation?", "And what measures did you take?", and "Why was this report made to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) only after five and a half months had passed?", stressing that "the person responsible for this construction is the Seoul mayor."

◇Oh Se-hoon's side says "stoking public anxiety is irresponsible"… Chong Won-o's side says "don't cut off the tail"

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's Seoul mayoral candidate, speaks at his campaign headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 17th./Courtesy of Yonhap

On the day, campaign spokesperson Kim Byung-min for Oh said, "The contractor (Hyundai Engineering & Construction) already discovered during construction that some rebar was missing due to an operational drawing-interpretation error and voluntarily reported this fact to the client, the Seoul Metropolitan Government."

He went on, "Afterward, necessary procedures such as on-site safety inspections, expert reviews, and formulation of reinforcement plans were carried out, and after reinforcement, the structural safety was actually strengthened beyond the original design standards."

Oh's side said, "This case is one in which the contractor's error was found within Seoul's current safety management system and safety issues were blocked in advance." They added, "As the contractor bears the full additional reinforcement costs, safety issues that citizens might worry about are being managed so they do not arise."

Chong Won-o, the Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral candidate, makes an emergency visit to the GTX-A Samseong Station construction site section with "missing rebar" in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 17th./Courtesy of News1

Less than an hour after Oh's side released its position, Chong's side responded again. Campaign spokesperson Park Kyung-mi for Chong said, "Oh Se-hoon is drawing a line as if it was a simple mistake by Hyundai Engineering & Construction and unrelated to the Seoul Metropolitan Government," calling it "an irresponsible attempt to dodge accountability."

Park added, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government received a report from the contractor on Nov. 10 last year about the missing rebar, but notified the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport only on Apr. 29 this year, more than five months later."

Park said, "This came just two days after Oh stepped away from the mayor's office and jumped into the campaign," calling it "deception of voters."

※ This article has been translated by AI. Share your feedback here.