The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 30th it will extend by two months the operating period of the Central Underground Accident Investigation Committee (Sajo Committee), which is determining the cause of the ground subsidence accident that occurred in Seoul's Myeongil-dong in March. The Sajo Committee's operating period will be extended from Sept. 30 to Nov. 30.
Starting with a kickoff meeting on 31st, the Sajo Committee reviewed design documents, work logs, inspection documents, and closed-circuit (CC)TV footage to determine the cause of the accident. It also held committee meetings (20), conducted on-site investigations (4), heard from related parties, performed drilling (4 locations) and sampling (8 locations), carried out three-dimensional geological structure analysis, and investigated civil complaints.
After reviewing direct and indirect factors that could have caused the accident from multiple angles, the Sajo Committee determined that more detailed and engineering-focused additional analysis was needed, and decided to extend the committee's operating period at the 20th committee meeting held on 29th.
Park In-jun, Chairperson of the Sajo Committee, said, "We will closely interpret factors affecting tunnel stability, such as ground characteristics and construction status, to clearly verify the collapse scenario, and we will announce the investigation results and measures to prevent a recurrence as soon as possible."