The Seoul Metropolitan Government said in connection with the controversy over missing rebar during underground construction at Samsung Station on the Great Train Express (GTX)-A line that it had continued to notify Korea National Railway of progress from the outset. It criticized the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for stoking public anxiety by recently mentioning the possibility of halting the GTX-A line.
Acting Seoul Mayor Kim Sung-bo said at a briefing room at City Hall on the afternoon of the 25th, "Recently, excessive political wrangling and speculative interpretations have continued around this matter, causing unnecessary anxiety and confusion. I will explain the exact facts so that misunderstandings and anxiety do not spread," and stated accordingly.
According to the city, after recognizing the missing rebar, it continued to report progress to Korea National Railway. The city said it received reports related to construction errors from Hyundai Engineering & Construction and the supervision team on Nov. 10 last year, and on the 13th of the same month sent Korea National Railway the first construction project management report that included details on the missing rebar. It then notified the agency by official document six times through on the 24th of last month of the progress of reinforcement reviews and detailed construction plans.
Addressing criticism that the city's reporting was insufficient, officials explained that the Urban Infrastructure Headquarters, which carried out the project, judged at the time that the issue was technically solvable and made its own decision. Ahn Dae-hee, head of the Urban Space Headquarters for Seoul (then head of the Urban Infrastructure Headquarters), said, "Upon receiving the report at the time, we determined it was safe because the design load had not yet been applied, and judged it to be an error that could be resolved technically," and added, "There was no reason to seek administrative or financial assistance from the headquarters (the city), and there was no reason to change the project schedule, so I instructed the team to devise a construction method as quickly as possible."
However, as concerns about a delay in opening the GTX-A non-stop through service were raised, officials deemed it a matter requiring a policy decision and said they urgently reported the situation to the acting mayor on Apr. 30. They added that it was impossible to report to Oh Se-hoon because the authority of the mayor was suspended on Apr. 27 with his registration as a preliminary candidate.
The city then criticized the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for fueling anxiety. Kim said the ministry made no requests to the city, such as recommending a work stoppage, during the 94 trial runs of non-stop service at GTX-A Samsung Station from May 4 to 19, but recently highlighted the gravity of the issue by even mentioning the possibility of stopping construction and is now saying inspections will be carried out in parallel without halting the work.
Kim said, "As the ministry has even mentioned the possibility of stopping construction, there is growing concern that it could appear as if there are serious structural defects or signs of a cover-up," and added, "We deeply regret that this inconsistent stance has caused confusion at the construction site as well as public anxiety."
Regarding the contractor and the supervision team, officials said they would hold them strictly accountable in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. Kim said, "Since recognizing the construction error, we have made safety checks and devising the optimal reinforcement plan our top priorities and have worked accordingly. In close cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea National Railway, we will safely complete the reinforcement work and do our utmost to ensure the normal opening of the GTX-A Samsung Station section without disruption."