The cause of the collapse of the Sejong-Anseong Expressway is attributed to the management and supervision of the construction company and issues related to illegal subcontracting, leading to the expectation that Hyundai Engineering will face severe penalties. The government is considering strong actions, such as suspension of operations, against Hyundai Engineering, which has recorded 6 fatalities this year.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is reviewing the level of sanctions against Hyundai Engineering, the contractor for the project, following the announcement of the results from the Sejong-Anseong Expressway collapse investigation committee on the 19th.
On February 25th, during the construction of the Cheongyongcheon Bridge on the Sejong-Anseong Expressway, girders collapsed, resulting in 4 deaths and 6 injuries. The construction companies involved are Hyundai Engineering (62.5% equity) and Hoban Industries (37.5%).
The Ministry of Land has designated Hyundai Engineering, the contractor for this incident, as a subject for mandatory sanctions. Under the Construction Industry Basic Act, the ministry can impose administrative penalties such as suspension of operations or cancellation of registrations on construction companies that cause major accidents due to poor construction. Incidents with 3 or more fatalities or 10 or more injuries during the operation of the accident investigation committee, as well as cases deemed to require reconstruction due to collapse or overturning, fall under this category.
In particular, the ministry warned severely about construction accidents that result in casualties, noting 'suspension of operations' in the materials and indicating that severe penalties are expected.
A ministry official stated, 'In the case of Hyundai Engineering, there have been 3 accidents this year, resulting in a total of 6 fatalities. This incident is a major accident, and due to the high number of fatalities, it is subject to the ministry's mandatory sanctions.'
This incident appears unavoidable as a human disaster, as evidence has emerged indicating insufficient management and supervision at the construction site. The accident investigation committee identified the primary causes as the arbitrary removal of overturn prevention facilities (screw jacks) and the relocation of a launcher in violation of safety certification standards, criticizing the contractor for inadequate management and supervision of the work that led to the accident.
It has been revealed that Hyundai Engineering did not recognize that the subcontractor had removed the screw jacks for more than a month at the site. It is also documented in the safety management plan that the launcher, which obtained safety certification for forward operation, would move backward, but the plan was approved without proper verification.
Lack of management and supervision also occurred during the construction process. The operator of the launcher indicated in the construction plan was different from the operator recorded in the work log on the day of the accident, and the operator listed in the work log left the site to operate another crane during the work, but proper management and supervision were not carried out.
Chairperson Oh Hong-seob stated, 'This incident is attributed to the arbitrary dismantling of screw jacks that prevent the overturning of girders, the backward movement of a launcher that was not safety certified, and the lack of diligence in continuous inspections.' He added, 'Since it could be confirmed from the CCTV footage that the screw jacks were arbitrarily removed, it was judged that the management by Hyundai Engineering, the entity in charge of continuous inspections, was inadequate.'
Separately from the accident investigation committee, illegal subcontracting cases were discovered during the special inspection by the ministry. In the results of the special inspection conducted with the participation of the Daejeon Regional Land Management Office, the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety (KALIS), and private experts, 9 cases of illegal subcontracting involving unregistered construction industry participants were identified at the site of the accident. There were also 4 cases of inadequate safety management, such as failing to follow up on regular safety inspections, and 1 case of poor quality management due to missing some concrete compressive strength quality tests.
A ministry official said, 'We raised issues with the contractor regarding the failure to submit safety inspection results and the inadequacy of safety training during the special inspection. In the case of Hyundai Engineering, issues arose from illegal subcontracting of equipment to an unregistered entity and pursuing wastewater treatment facilities without having written contracts.'
Sanctions against Hoban Industries, the joint contractor with Hyundai Engineering, are also under review. A ministry official noted, 'Sanctions based on illegal subcontracting or special inspection results will be determined by the respective company's share and by making clear who is responsible for which tasks.'
The ministry plans to determine the level of administrative sanctions through processes such as filing objections and hearings. Typically, it takes 4 to 5 months for the administrative sanctions to be finalized.
However, even if the ministry decides to impose severe penalties, such as suspension of operations against Hyundai Engineering, it is anticipated that it will take a long time before the actual sanctions are enforced. This is because construction companies that receive suspension orders from the ministry or local governments immediately file lawsuits to cancel the administrative penalties, which suspends the effect of the administrative sanctions until the court's ruling is issued. Therefore, even if a suspension order is given, construction companies may continue to operate normally for 4 to 5 years until a ruling from the Supreme Court is made.