Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office Forms Task Force for "Seosomun Overpass Collapse"

Four Prosecutors and Six Investigators Assigned to Task Force

The prosecution has established a dedicated task force in response to the collapse at the Seosomun overpass demolition site in Seoul, which resulted in three fatalities.

On May 27, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office announced that a task force, led by Chief Prosecutor So Jae-hwan, has been formed regarding the collapse of the Seosomun overpass in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Headed by Chief Prosecutor So, who is an officially certified specialist in safety accidents at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, the task force consists of four prosecutors from the Criminal Division 5, which is in charge of major industrial accident cases, and six investigators.

Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The previous day, at around 2:33 p.m., the deck of the Seosomun overpass in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, collapsed. The accident claimed the lives of three people: the site manager in his 60s, the supervising inspector in his 60s, and an external expert in his 50s. The supervising inspector was transported to the hospital from the scene in a state of cardiac arrest, but was pronounced dead despite CPR efforts.

Three people were injured (one seriously and two with minor injuries) and were taken to a nearby hospital. There were a total of 13 people present at the scene at the time of the collapse, but it was confirmed that seven of them evacuated safely.

The collapse occurred during a safety inspection. As part of the demolition work in the early morning hours, a slab was being cut when a structural misalignment was detected. After halting the work and conducting a safety inspection, the deck collapsed.

The Seosomun overpass, constructed in 1966, consists of 18 piers connecting Chungjeongno Station and City Hall Station. It is 335 meters long and 14.9 meters wide. Due to aging, safety issues surfaced, such as a piece of concrete falling onto the road in March 2019. A detailed safety inspection subsequently rated it as grade D, leading to the decision for demolition. Demolition began in August of last year and was scheduled for completion in early June.

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