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Gwangmyeong subway construction site evacuated over safety concerns

Published: 11 Apr. 2025, 12:38

A one-kilometer stretch of Ori-ro between Yangji Intersection in Gwangmyeong and Hohyeon Intersection in Anyang is being controlled after a report of possible collapse in a subway construction site nearby was received on April 11. [NEWS1]

Authorities evacuated a subway construction site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, early Friday after workers discovered structural cracks in a support pillar, raising fears of a possible collapse.

At around 12:30 a.m. Friday, a report was filed that structural cracks had appeared on a support pillar at a ventilation shaft installed at the construction site for a new Shinansan Line in Iljik-dong in Gwangmyeong, according to the Gwangmyeong Police Precinct and Gwangmyeong City Hall.

The site is part of the privately funded Section 5-2 of the double-track Shinansan Line railway project.

A site official reported the risk of collapse to the city government, after which police and city officials responded jointly.

Seventeen construction workers on-site evacuated on their own, and no injuries were reported.

Police closed a roughly one-kilometer (0.62 miles) stretch of Ori-ro between Yangji Intersection in Gwangmyeong and Hohyeon Intersection in Anyang. At 2:08 a.m., Gwangmyeong City sent a safety alert text message to residents, saying, “traffic is controlled in both directions in front of Bitgaon Elementary School due to the risk of collapse at the Shinansan Line ventilation shaft construction site in Iljik-dong,” urging citizens to “use detour routes.”

Safety inspections and reinforcement work are underway to prevent further collapse or ground subsidence.

“We are conducting detailed inspections not only at the site where the cracks appeared but also in surrounding areas,” a Gwangmyeong city official said. “It's difficult to say how long the reinforcement work will take.”

“Experts and project officials are currently on-site, and so far, there does not appear to be a high risk of additional cracks or collapse,” the official added.

Police said road closures will remain in place until the site is deemed safe.

“Reinforcement work must be completed underground before we can assess whether the aboveground area is safe,” a police official said. “The road closure will only be lifted once we conclude that safety has been secured.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY SEO JI-WON [[email protected]]