Demolition of Seosomun Overpass Resumes… "Investigation Prioritizes Construction Process"

[Anchor]

Demolition work on the remaining piers at the Seosomun Overpass in Seoul, where a collapse last month left six people dead or injured, resumed early this morning (June 18). The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to complete the demolition by early next month and construct a new overpass by February 2028.

Reporter Lim Ji-hyun has the story.

[Reporter]

Workers on lifts move busily as heavy equipment is deployed to hoist the ends of the bridge piers.

The dismantling of the remaining piers at the site of the Seosomun Overpass collapse in Seoul resumed early this morning.

There are three remaining piers in total, and the demolition work is scheduled to continue until July 6.

The work has resumed in coordination with KORAIL and will be carried out for three hours every day during the early morning hours when train operations are suspended.

This comes 23 days after the tragic accident on May 26, when a portion of the overpass collapsed during demolition work, resulting in three deaths and three injuries.

Following the final demolition work, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to complete the construction of a new overpass over a period of 18 months, from early August to February 2028.

A police investigation is also underway to determine the cause of last month's tragedy.

Park Jung-bo, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated during a press conference on the 15th, "We are primarily looking into whether there were any issues related to the construction process during the demolition," adding, "We plan to examine whether safety regulations were followed and determine if there were any lapses in management and supervision."

So far, the police have questioned 18 individuals involved with the demolition contractor and have booked four of them on charges including professional negligence resulting in death.

(Video coverage by Kim Tae-hoon, Video editing by Kim Ho-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.