The ruling Democratic Party has labeled the Seosomun overpass collapse and the rebar omission incident at Samseong Station on the Great Train Express (GTX)-A line as "backward accidents," demanding punishment for those responsible and institutional improvements. With the election entering its final stretch, the Democratic Party of Korea is intensifying its focus on the "safety management responsibility" of Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, following a string of accidents in the heart of the capital.
Democratic Party lawmakers on the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee and Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee held an emergency roundtable Wednesday at the National Assembly under the theme "Is Seoul's Safety Acceptable as It Stands?" The session was held one day before early voting (May 29-30) for the June 3 local elections.
In his opening remarks, Democratic Party leader Jung Cheong-rae said, "Thirty years have passed since the 1994 Seongsu Bridge collapse and the 1995 Sampoong Department Store collapse, yet backward accidents continue to occur. I cannot contain my devastation."
"We must reexamine and review the entire social safety management system from top to bottom," he said. "We must thoroughly investigate the causes of accidents, establish firm measures to prevent recurrence, and those who must be held accountable should clearly bear responsibility."
Cheon Jun-ho, senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, took direct aim, saying, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government is fueling citizens' anxiety." He criticized, "Protecting the lives, safety, and daily routines of citizens is the most basic role of administration. When the basics are not upheld, no value or achievement holds any meaning."
He added, "Questions are being raised over why a safety inspection was carried out without separate safety measures, even though abnormal signs had already been detected 12 hours before the accident. While bidding announcements normally must be issued 30 days in advance, the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued an emergency notice and selected a contractor in just six days. There is a possibility that the Seoul Metropolitan Government approved the demolition plan submitted by the contractor without sufficient review."
Experts who attended the roundtable agreed that accident prevention requires legislation on the demolition of social overhead capital (SOC), stronger penalties for shoddy demolition, and the training of specialized personnel. Ahn Sang-ro, chairman of the Korea Safety Leaders Forum, pointed out, "Korea has no demolition law for civil engineering structures, structural facilities, or SOC facilities. We apply the Construction Technology Promotion Act by analogy, which is similar to wearing borrowed clothes. Problems can arise because the purposes of each law are different."
Park Doo-yong, former chairman of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, suggested, "When problems occur, in principle, construction must be redone, but this entails astronomical costs. To fundamentally resolve such issues, we must devise a system to bear costs equivalent to demolishing the structure or impose penalty surcharges."
Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, also appealed for support, pledging, "I will take responsibility for Seoul's safety." He declared that, if elected, he would establish a Life Safety Committee directly under the mayor to serve as the control tower for safety administration. He also proposed strengthening life safety education and campaigns, and tripling the safety prevention budget.
At a press briefing the same day, Jung said, "The Lee Jae-myung administration places the lives and safety of the people as the top priority of state affairs. That principle must also work properly at the local government level." He added, "I will personally oversee risks as mayor and ensure that reporting, inspection, and on-site measures are carried out to the end. I will transform our administration from one that cleans up after accidents to a preemptive one that prevents risks before accidents occur."
