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Sinkhole appears near rail construction site in Busan, no injuries reported

Published: 13 Apr. 2025, 14:56

A sinkhole appears near a rail construction site in Busan on April 13. [SASANG-GU OFFICE]

A large sinkhole appeared near an urban rail construction site in Sasang District, Busan, early on Sunday. No injuries were reported.

The sinkhole formed at around 4:57 a.m. near a crosswalk in Hakjang-dong, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. It measured approximately 5 meters (16 feet) wide, 3 meters long and 4.5 meters deep.

The sinkhole opened just as district officials were implementing safety measures after being alerted by police. Sasang District officials had received a warning from police around 5 a.m. that a sinkhole “appeared imminent.” Officials arrived on-site within 15 minutes and were responding when the ground collapsed.

“We received the call from police and arrived at the scene within 15 minutes. The sinkhole opened while we were implementing safety measures," a district official said.

Authorities have since closed all four lanes near the site and installed protective barriers. Repair work is underway, and both Busan city officials and the contractor are on-site investigating the cause.

A small sinkhole appears in Gangdong District, eastern Seoul, on April 2. [YONHAP]

A sinkhole near Aeogae Station, Line No. 5, on April 13 [JOONGANG ILBO]

The sinkhole occurred adjacent to the Sasang–Hadan Line subway construction site, which spans 6.9 kilometers (4.2 miles) across seven stations and is scheduled for completion in late 2026. The project connects Sasang Station on Line 2 to Hadan Station.

This is not the first such incident at this location. In September 2023, two trucks plunged 8 meters into a sinkhole in the same area, one of more than six such collapses reported at the site. Following a special investigation, Busan City concluded in February that faulty waterproofing and heavy rainfall were to blame. Despite those findings, the recurrence of sinkholes raises renewed safety concerns.

Meanwhile, another sinkhole was reported in Seoul’s Mapo District the same morning. At around 8:50 a.m., police received a report of a hole measuring 40 centimeters in diameter and 1.3 meters deep near the entrance to Aeogae Station on Line 5. Mapo police closed four lanes around the area, and the Western Seoul Road Management Office is currently excavating the site to determine the cause and extent of the damage.

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

BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]