Minister of Land Visits Seosomun Overpass Collapse Site, Vows Thorough Investigation into Cause

Central Accident Response Headquarters Activated
Director of the Railway Bureau and Officials Dispatched to the Site
Emergency Safety Inspections at Similar Sites

Yoonduk Kim, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, conducted an emergency inspection at the site of the Seosomun Overpass collapse in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, where three people were killed and three others were injured on the 26th.

After completing a regional site inspection that day, Minister Kim was briefed on the accident while en route to Seoul and immediately moved to the Seosomun site. He instructed, "We must thoroughly prevent secondary accidents such as additional collapses and ensure the utmost safety for all workers. Place safety as the top priority, implement all necessary additional safety measures, and focus all available resources on responding to the accident."

Minister Kim further emphasized, "We must conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and promptly carry out emergency safety inspections at similar sites to strengthen safety management and alleviate public anxiety."

Yoon-duk Kim, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (left), is receiving a report on the accident response situation at the collapsed Seosomun Overpass site in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 26th. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

Immediately after the incident, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport activated the Central Accident Response Headquarters, with Minister Kim serving as the head. As the collapsed structure fell onto the railway catenary of the Gyeongui Line, resulting in power outages on sections including Sinchon Station to Seoul Station, the ministry urgently dispatched the Director of the Railway Bureau, the Head of Railway Facility Safety, railway safety supervisors, special judicial police officers for railways, and inspectors from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority to the site. The ministry plans to make every effort to support accident response and recovery in cooperation with related agencies such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and the National Police Agency.

The accident occurred at approximately 2:33 p.m., when the elevated structure being demolished collapsed. The deck structure fell directly onto a truck and site personnel below. As a result, the head of construction supervision, the site manager, and an external structural inspection expert were killed. Two died at the scene, and one died after being transported to the hospital. Two Seoul city officials and one Seodaemun-gu community center employee who were at the site were injured and are currently receiving hospital treatment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.