The Democratic Party of Korea held a news conference on the missing rebar at GTX Samseong Station and raised questions of responsibility for People Power Party Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon.

At the National Assembly Communication Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 20th, lawmaker Ko Min-jung, head of the Oh Se-hoon Judgment Headquarters at Democratic Party of Korea Chong Won-o's Seoul mayoral campaign, holds a press conference to announce evidence of concealed rebar omissions at the GTX Samseong Station construction site./Courtesy of Yonhap News

Ko Min-jung, who serves as the Deputy Minister of Chong Won-o's Democratic Party of Korea Seoul mayoral campaign's Oh Se-hoon Accountability Headquarters, held a news conference on the 20th and strongly criticized the city of Seoul, alleging an organized cover-up over the "missing rebar in the GTX-A Samseong Station section."

Ko said, "They claim the time they recognized the missing rebar was around March, but that is perjury," adding, "Hyundai Engineering & Construction first reported the missing rebar to the city of Seoul in November." She went on, "From January to April, when Oh resigned, there were a total of 12 inspection meetings," and said, "If they truly didn't know, that's a 'vegetative mayor.'"

Regarding Urban Infrastructure Headquarters Director Lim Chun-geun, Ko said, "It is only natural that he received a handover after being appointed on Dec. 31 last year," adding, "The claim that he first became aware in March amounts to false testimony."

She also raised her voice about safety inspections and future measures. Ko said, "They say 422 cracks have occurred, and because this is a large-scale complex center where several lines pass through and there is also an underground shopping mall, it should have been checked several times," adding, "Common sense dictates that construction should have been halted when the suspicions were raised."

She continued, "Hyundai Engineering & Construction says it has drawn up a reinforcement plan, but how can we trust the very people who left out the rebar?" adding, "We need to find complementary measures together with objective outside experts."

Finally, Ko said, "Oh's biggest Achilles' heel was safety," adding, "It is very fortunate this was found before a major accident occurred."

Oh Se-hoon immediately moved to explain in response to the criticism. At a discussion hosted by the Kwanhun Club held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Oh made clear in response to related questions that the reports did not reach him.

Oh Se-hoon, People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, speaks at a Kwanhun Club invited forum at the Korea Press Center in Jung District, Seoul, on the morning of the 20th./Courtesy of News1

Oh said, "From the perspective of the Urban Infrastructure Headquarters, there are more than a thousand business sites in Seoul under its management," explaining, "That is why I did not receive the report."

Oh also pushed back against the criticism that construction was forced ahead when suspicions were raised. Oh said, "We discussed with experts whether to immediately halt construction," adding, "We concluded to continue the work."

He also outlined future reinforcement plans. Oh said, "Hyundai Engineering & Construction and the Korea Rail Network Authority are discussing a plan to reinforce the entire section by attaching steel plates," adding, "We can carry out reinforcement along with the GTX construction, and it is expected to take 6 to 8 weeks."

Lastly, Oh characterized the Democratic Party of Korea's offensive as election-season negative campaigning. Oh said, "Measures such as installing subway platform screen doors and mandating construction-site CCTV are all safety steps from the Seoul city government under Oh Se-hoon," adding, "The Democratic Party of Korea is using the people's 'safety' as political fodder to attack me."

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