Parking lot roof at Homeplus' Songdo branch partially collapses

The collapsed roof at the basement parking lot at Homeplus' Songdo branch on Wednesday [SCREEN SHOT]

The roof of a basement parking area at the Homeplus branch in Songdo, Incheon, collapsed Wednesday.

No injuries or vehicle damage were reported from the incident.

According to Homeplus on Thursday, a portion of the roof at its Songdo branch collapsed at 8:20 p.m.

The retailer said it immediately stopped the entry of all vehicles to its parking lot and swiftly cleared away the debris.

“Thanks to the quick actions, there were no injuries or vehicle damage,” the retailer said in a statement.

This isn't the first instance of the roof collapsing at Homeplus' Songdo branch.

Part of the basement parking lot's roof fell in May 2019, and shelves were damaged when part of the store roof collapsed in August 2020.

The Songdo branch was constructed by Hoban E&C.

“Despite the fact that the building landlord had previously urged the construction company to undertake a reconstruction of the parking area to ensure customer safety after the 2019 incident, we regret that the same accident had taken place,” the company said in the statement.

The incident came to light when a customer, who was present at the time of the roof collapse, criticized the retailer on an online community.

"The roof fell just behind my car, and dust was rising," the customer stated. "However, there were no broadcast announcements, and the employees were busy cleaning up without providing any explanation."

"While I should be relieved that I wasn't injured, I'm feeling both angry and scared due to their lackluster response," the customer added.

The retailer said the basement parking lot will be temporarily closed for structural repairs and reinforcement. However, the store will continue to operate as usual.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]