President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday ordered a sweeping investigation into a deadly collapse at an aging Seoul overpass demolition site and a separate construction scandal involving missing reinforcing bars at a high-speed commuter rail project.
Lee instructed authorities to examine whether the two incidents stemmed from "bad practices that persist in parts of society, putting money and efficiency ahead of safety."
"Whether the fatal accident at the Seosomun overpass demolition site the other day and the missing reinforcing bars problem at Samsung Station's GTX project also stem from such entrenched maladies requires a thorough investigation," Lee said during a weekly meeting with senior aides and secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae.
GTX is South Korea's high-speed commuter rail network designed to connect outlying areas of the Seoul metropolitan region to central Seoul at much faster speeds than conventional subway lines.
Lee underscored that the incidents were "particularly serious because public-sector bodies, which should be taking the lead in protecting public safety, were involved more than anyone else."
"Relevant authorities must swiftly uncover the truth and, depending on the findings, hold those responsible strictly accountable regardless of rank or position," Lee added.
The remarks came after part of the Seosomun overpass demolition site in Seoul's Seodaemun-gu collapsed Tuesday, killing three people, including a construction site manager, injuring three others.
The Seosomun overpass, which opened in 1966, had severely deteriorated. The structure was marked with the second-worst grade of D in a precision safety inspection for aging infrastructure.
The comments also came as the government's joint investigation team has been probing the incident of missing reinforcing bars in structural columns at the GTX-A Samsung Station construction project since last week.
During the meeting, Lee stressed that "money can never be more valuable than human life."
"We must also keep firmly in mind the fact that safety is the most efficient investment," Lee said. "The government will devote the maximum extent of its capabilities to protecting the lives of the people and saving the lives of the people."
Lee also noted that Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the Guui Station tragedy, which occurred on May 28, 2016, when a 19-year-old subcontracted worker surnamed Kim was fatally hit by an incoming train while repairing a platform screen door alone on Seoul Subway Line No. 2.
"Even after that day, heartbreaking incidents in which workers lose their lives at workplaces that should be the safest places continue to be repeated," Lee said.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
