Police probe asbestos bribery case
Published: 12 Nov. 2009, 23:02
A ceiling at Nakseongdae Station, line No. 2, has been taken down ahead of asbestos removal work, but despite a notice saying that a stairway is closed due to the work, nearby doors are used regularly during rush hour. By Choi Seung-shik
Investigators at Bangbae Police Precinct in southern Seoul said Wednesday that five firms responsible for the removal of the asbestos bribed a work supervisor at Seoul Metro to overlook violations of safety regulations.
“The work for one station should last more than six months if the rules are followed,” Lee Chi-u, an officer at the precinct, said. “However, it seems that those firms have allegedly acted unlawfully in order to shorten the period of the job.”
Police said they enlarged the probe after investigators discovered a large amount of money paid through a bank account of person outside the subway operator.
Seoul Metro has been working on removing asbestos in nine subway stations since 2007. Stations involved include Bangbae, Nakseongdae, Seocho and Bongcheon where asbestos in the ceiling was found to be beyond the standard amount.
Work at Bangbae Station was completed late last year, and the Seocho and Bongcheon projects are underway. Operations at the remaining stations will begin soon.
Experts said in order to prevent carcinogenic substances from spreading while removing the asbestos, either the air has to be absorbed and stored in one place or ceiling, walls and floors have to be sealed. They say asbestos powder can cause lung diseases and other tumors. If rules related to asbestos removal at subway stations are not followed properly, passengers could be exposed to the powder, police said. About 30,000 to 40,000 passengers use Seocho and Bongcheon stations, where the removal work is underway, every day.
“In some stations, safety partitions [around the areas where the asbestos is being removed] are opened and closed many times even though asbestos can be spread,” an officer said on condition of anonymity.
In fact, many passengers saw construction workers going in and out of the partitions during rush hour last Wednesday morning at Nakseongdae Station, investigators said.
“So far we have not able to confirm the bribery scandal but it is not very likely that passengers have been exposed to asbestos powder,” an executive at Seoul Metro who asked not to be identified said.
The executive also said Seocho and Bongcheon stations have installed secure screen walls that prevent exposure to the harmful powder.
“Stations where the removal work is being carried out have to report concentration levels of asbestos every day. We will intensify the management,” Kim Jeong-hwan, a PR official at Seoul Metro, said.
By Lim Mi-jin, Lee Min-yong [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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