The government said Monday that it will create a comprehensive map of underground conditions while also requiring a safety analysis before any major construction projects to help prevent sinkholes.

The decision follows weeks of a special inspection prompted by the recent discovery of several underground cavities in Seoul.

An earlier inspection of the underground cavities in Seokchon, southeastern Seoul, by the Seoul metropolitan government had concluded the hollows were formed by extensive and reckless digging of soil to build a subway line in the area.

The new underground map, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, will contain detailed locations and information of underground facilities and infrastructure, such as electricity and communication cables, as well as the quality of soil in any given area.

"The information about underground infrastructure has been well managed since the tragic fire in the Daegu subway (in 2003), but other information (such as the quality of soil) is currently scattered among different government agencies," the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry said the construction of major buildings or infrastructure in areas with soft ground or poor quality of soil may be required to conduct additional soil testing, and also set up reinforced safety measures to help prevent the creation of underground hollows.

It, however, noted the possibility of the country witnessing a large sinkhole was fairly slim as most of the country's land was made up of hard rocks.

"Most of the sinkholes that have formed in the country appear to have been caused by human errors," it said. "The mid-sized sinkholes found in Songpa (Seokchon) and Incheon apparently had been caused by construction projects that did not take into account the quality of the soil in the areas, which, otherwise, could have been prevented." (Yonhap)