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Jung Won-oh and lawmakers from the Democratic Party’s land and interior committees inspect the GTX-A construction site in Gangnam’s Yeongdong-daero, where the rebar omission issue occurred, on May 17. (Photo: Yonhap News Agency) |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has launched a special on-site inspection after missing rebar was discovered in the construction of the GTX-A Samsung Station հատված, with authorities also examining whether Seoul Metropolitan Government handled reporting appropriately.
The ministry said on May 18 that it will conduct an intensive review of construction processes at the Yeongdong-daero underground complex development project, where the GTX-A Samsung Station section—being built by Hyundai Engineering & Construction—is currently underway under delegation from the Korea Rail Network Authority.
The controversy centers on the discovery that 50 out of 80 structural pillars at the B5-level platform were constructed with only one row of main reinforcing bars instead of the two rows required by design standards.
The inspection will focus on whether construction procedures complied with relevant laws and whether project stakeholders properly fulfilled their responsibilities, including safety, quality control, and construction management.
A 12-member task force comprising officials from the ministry, the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety, the Korea Railroad Research Institute, and the Korea Rail Network Authority has been formed. Based on the findings, the government may impose penalties, corrective orders, or fines on responsible parties.
Separately, the ministry is already reviewing the handling of the reporting process by Seoul city and the rail authority. While Hyundai E&C stated it promptly reported the issue to Seoul upon discovery, Seoul maintains it fulfilled its obligations by reporting the matter to the rail authority multiple times and was not required to notify the ministry directly.
However, the ministry considers the delay significant, noting it was only informed of the issue roughly six months after the initial report to Seoul.
The issue has also emerged as a political flashpoint in the Seoul mayoral race, with opposing camps disputing whether the delay constituted concealment or procedural compliance.
The ministry said the inspection will run for about a month, with the possibility of extension, and that it will begin a detailed review of the proposed steel plate reinforcement method later this week.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
