The government will begin a safety inspection in connection with the missing rebar incident at the Great Train eXpress (GTX)-A Samsung Station in the Seoul metropolitan area. This follows President Lee Jae-myung's order to related ministries, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, to ascertain the facts and conduct safety inspections.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 21st they will conduct a safety inspection of the 1-kilometer section of the GTX-A Samsung Station where a construction error occurred.
Earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) confirmed on the 15th that only one row of main reinforcing bars had been installed in a pillar on the B5 platform at Samsung Station on the GTX-A line. It should have been built with two rows. As a result, 50 of the 80 pillars in the design failed to meet the standard.
This project is being carried out by the Seoul Metropolitan Government under commission from Korea National Railway. Hyundai Engineering & Construction is in charge of construction.
The safety inspection is being conducted under the Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety. A 40-person inspection team will cover two areas: construction site safety and construction execution.
The inspection team includes related agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), as well as specialized institutions including the Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency (KOSHA), Korea Electrical Safety Corporation (KESCO), Korea Gas Safety Corporation (KGS), Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety (KALIS), the Korea Railroad Research Institute, and Korea National Railway. To ensure objectivity, an outside expert will serve as Director General.
To check the safety conditions of business sites under construction, the government plans to swiftly complete the safety conditions inspection in the construction site safety field. The inspection in the construction execution field is expected to continue for about two months and may be extended if necessary.
In addition, through this joint government safety inspection, authorities plan to inspect not only the area where the construction error occurred but also all facilities under construction across the entire Yeongdong-daero site.