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Using cheaper, faster demolition method for Ulsan power plant may have led to collapse, experts say in relation to 2016 British disaster

Published: 23 Nov. 2025, 14:15

Members of a joint forensic investigation team arrive at the site of a boiler tower collapse at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Nov. 18. [YONHAP]

On Feb. 23, 2016, a collapse at the Didcot A power station in Britain killed four workers. The incident occurred during the structure's predemolition process. Britain’s Health and Safety Executive and police concluded that the incident was a man-made disaster caused by poor safety management during the demolition of an aging building.

The case mirrors the deadly collapse at the Ulsan thermal power plant that left nine people dead or injured earlier this month.

Explosives are often used to dismantle large power plant structures such as smokestacks and boiler towers, as with Units 1 through 3 of the Ulsan power plant in 2019, the Seocheon plant in 2022 and the Yeosu Honam plant earlier this year. The technique is favored over conventional top-down dismantlement because it reduces both construction time and cost.

According to a demolition report for Units 4 to 6 of the Ulsan plant — commissioned by Korea East-West Power, prepared by B Engineering and obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo — dismantling a smokestack through the top-down method would take at least 285 days and cost around 13 billion won ($8.8 million). In contrast, the explosive method would reduce that timeline by over 100 days to 180 and cut costs to 3.2 billion won.

However, building implosions carry greater risks.

Industry sources say that power plants in Korea typically cease operations after 30 to 40 years. The Ulsan facility, where the recent collapse occurred, was built in 1981 and shut down in 2022 after 41 years. Retired plants commonly suffer from structural fatigue and corrosion from sea winds. Such problems make structural integrity assessments conducted before dismantlement especially critical. Because predemolition involves cutting or damaging parts of a structure, even minor misjudgments can destabilize the entire building.

Members of a joint forensic investigation team arrive at the site of a boiler tower collapse at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Nov. 18. [NEWS1]

Members of a joint forensic investigation team arrive at the site of a boiler tower collapse at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Nov. 18. [YONHAP]

“Imagine someone leaning slightly back in a chair. The back legs bear more weight,” said Kim Young-min, the head of the Korean Structural Engineers Association. “In complex structures like boiler towers, the weight is not evenly distributed across all columns. That’s why simulations and precise analysis must be conducted during safety reviews. Without them, a collapse can occur suddenly during predemolition.”

Some have raised concerns that structural safety assessments may have been conducted only superficially. Police are currently investigating whether evaluations were done properly.

Meanwhile, police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted extensive raids on Thursday — targeting Korea East-West Power, the project owner, as well as construction company HJ Heavy Industries and subcontractor Korea Kacoh — as part of their investigation into the structural cause and accountability for the collapse. Around 50 labor inspectors and officers participated in the operation. Authorities reportedly secured documents related to the project and previous incidents, and they plan to thoroughly examine whether adequate safety measures were in place during the demolition process.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-WOOK [[email protected]]