Prosecutors' investigation team and specialized investigation advisory committee are conducting a site investigation on August 3, 2023, regarding the temporary embankment identified as the cause of the Osong underground tunnel disaster that resulted in 14 fatalities./Courtesy of News1

The head of the Mihocheon Bridge expansion project, who was serving time, has died. He was sentenced to prison for failing to properly manage the temporary embankment of the Miho River, which was the direct cause of the Osong underpass flooding disaster that claimed 14 lives.

According to the correctional authorities on the 31st, Mr. A (67), the head of the project, was found in a state of diminished consciousness on the 22nd at Cheongju Prison by an inmate sharing the same room. Mr. A was transferred to Chonbuk National University Hospital for treatment and is reported to have been declared dead on that day.

The discovery of Mr. A's will has led to speculation that he attempted a drastic choice. The Daejeon Regional Correctional Office is currently investigating the circumstances of his death, including management issues.

The contractor for the Mihocheon Bridge expansion project, ordered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, illegally demolished the existing embankment for construction convenience. Mr. A was arrested and indicted for negligence in managing and supervising the poorly constructed and neglected temporary embankment, leading to loss of life.

The site of the reconstruction of the Miho Bridge, which marks the beginning of the Osong underground tunnel disaster leading to 14 fatalities. The photo shows sandbags surrounded by a waterproof sheet near the temporary embankment on the Miho River in Osong-eup, Chungju-si on July 18, 2023, three days after the disaster./Courtesy of News1

Mr. A received a six-year prison sentence in the first trial and a four-year sentence in the second trial. The Supreme Court upheld the second trial verdict. During his final statement in the first trial last year, he said, "I pray for the souls of the deceased and apologize to their families. Due to my failure to manage the site meticulously, there was loss of life. I will repent and reflect while offering my apology."

The Osong disaster occurred on July 15, 2023, when heavy rain caused the Miho River embankment near the Gungpyeong 2 underpass in Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, to break, flooding 17 vehicles, including city buses, passing through the underpass, resulting in 14 deaths. The prosecution has referred 43 individuals, including public officials from the Chungcheongbuk-do, Cheongju City, and Geum River Basin Environment Agency, as well as police officers, to trial, and as of now, four sentences have been finalized. The contractor's site manager has received a confirmed six-year sentence and is currently serving time.

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