Lotte Department Store's Centum City branch in Busan will reopen on Saturday, three days after a partial ceiling collapse in its food hall forced a temporary closure.
"During the closure, we completed safety inspections and emergency restoration work on the facilities together with specialized agencies," Lotte Department Store Centum City said on Friday. "Having concluded consultations with relevant authorities including the Haeundae District Office, we plan to resume operations starting Saturday."
The incident occurred at around 3 p.m. on the 31st of last month in the food hall on the first basement level of the Centum City branch, in what is presumed to have been a coolant pipe leak. Ceiling finishing materials and some equipment collapsed during the incident, prompting the emergency evacuation of approximately 150 customers and employees. No casualties were reported, but the department store suspended operations immediately following the accident.
In the wake of the incident, Lotte Department Store will conduct additional safety inspections across its stores nationwide. "We deeply apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to our customers by this unexpected accident," a Lotte Department Store official said. "We will do our utmost to create a safer shopping environment by strengthening facility safety inspections at all our stores nationwide."
