X-ray Public Service Ad Appears at 9cm Gap on Seongsu Bridge

A public service advertisement featuring an X-ray of a fractured spine has appeared at a site on the southern access ramp of Seongsu Bridge, where a 9cm gap has developed.

Lee Je-seok, CEO of the Jeski Social Campaign and a public service advertising expert, announced today (July 15) that he recently conducted a guerrilla campaign at the site to call for a thorough investigation into the stability of the ground beneath the road.

The advertisement uses X-ray images of a broken spine attached to both sides of the concrete retaining wall where the gap occurred, intuitively illustrating the potential danger of the structural separation.

The campaign is notable for visually comparing the state of the road's substructure to the unseen interior of the human body.

Lee argued that the southern access ramp of Seongsu Bridge is an embankment section built with soil and retaining walls. Given that approximately 30 years have passed since its reopening, he claimed it is necessary to check for potential issues such as the deterioration of internal drainage facilities or soil erosion.

In particular, he cited heavy rainfall, the soft ground around the Han River, the nearby Great Train Express (GTX)-A Han River underwater tunnel, and the underground construction of the Dongbu Expressway as factors that could impact ground stability.

Lee urged for precise investigations, such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys and subsurface drilling, stating that simply applying asphalt to reduce the gap is insufficient to identify potential voids or soil erosion beneath the road.

He further demanded that the results of such investigations be transparently disclosed to the public.

The site where Lee conducted the guerrilla campaign has recently seen a gap of about 9cm, leading to a series of reports from drivers and other citizens passing through the area.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated that it had already identified and managed the gap in this section during previous regular safety inspections. The city maintains that there are no issues with structural safety, as there has been no additional subsidence since 2016.

However, to alleviate public concern, the city has decided to strengthen safety management measures and conduct a comprehensive inspection of all access ramps on Han River bridges to check for similar cases.

(Photo courtesy of Jeski Social Campaign, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.