Sinkhole comes just 4 days after gov. measures, raises major red flag for subway construction
Published: 13 Apr. 2025, 19:31
Updated: 13 Apr. 2025, 21:15
![Busan officials including Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon visit the sinkhole site in Sasang District, Busan on April 13 to receive a briefing on the incident and direct response measures. [BUSAN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/04/13/b453b098-d80d-457c-a4ca-554d123c296f.jpg)
Busan officials including Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon visit the sinkhole site in Sasang District, Busan on April 13 to receive a briefing on the incident and direct response measures. [BUSAN]
A sinkhole opened in the early morning on Sunday in the middle of a crosswalk near the Sasang Industrial Complex in Sasang District, Busan, just four days after the city's transportation authorities vowed to take precautionary measures against a series of sinkholes that have been appearing across the city since last year.
The collapse occurred around 5:30 a.m. and left a hole 3 meters (9.84 feet) wide, 4.5 meters long and 5 meters deep. Although no injuries occurred, concerns were raised regarding the safety and viability of the ongoing Sasang-Hadan subway construction.
Officials had already restricted access after receiving a report 30 minutes earlier warning of possible ground subsidence.
Busan officials traced the cause to a damaged concrete stormwater box underground. Rainwater had eroded the surrounding soil, creating a void that led to the collapse.
This marks the eighth reported sinkhole near the construction site of the Sasang-Hadan Line, a 6.9-kilometer (4.29-mile) subway route connecting Sasang Station on Line 2 to Hadan Station on Line 1. Construction began in 2015 and is set to finish by the end of next year.
A major sinkhole in the area last September followed 379 millimeters (14.92 inches) of rain and swallowed two trucks. Investigators blamed not only heavy rainfall, but also poor waterproofing methods used in the project.
![A sinkhole appears near a rail construction site in Busan on April 13. [SASANG-GU OFFICE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/04/13/80c111dd-2571-4097-8a9a-04e56a37dda4.jpg)
A sinkhole appears near a rail construction site in Busan on April 13. [SASANG-GU OFFICE]
The Busan Transportation Corporation announced countermeasures on Thursday, including soil stability testing, additional grouting at 1,100 sites and ground-penetrating radar surveys. But another sinkhole forming after only 29 millimeters of rain renewed public concern.
“I used to take that road every day to work,” said Lee, a 37-year-old commuter. “Now I avoid it, even if the detour takes longer.”
Lim Jong-chul, a civil engineering professor emeritus at Pusan National University, warned that Sasang’s landfill base and high groundwater levels make the area vulnerable.
“Unseen voids could still exist underground,” he said. “Heavy rain could cause them to collapse all at once.”
He urged a joint investigation by the city, contractors and the Busan Transportation Corporation into underground infrastructure and risk zones.
Crews began repairs immediately, with the city aiming to reopen the road by Monday. Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon visited the site that day.
“Finding the root cause of these repeated accidents is our top priority,” he said on Sunday. “We’ll carry out a thorough review of nearby construction and infrastructure to prevent further incidents.”
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM MIN-JU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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