Apartment Residents Protest as Power Outage Caused by Damaged Underground Cable Sparks Dispute and Delays Compensation

An apartment complex suffered a blackout due to an underground power cable being damaged during excavation work, and residents are protesting as a dispute over responsibility delays compensation.

According to the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) Incheon Headquarters and other sources on today (the 10th), an underground KEPCO cable was damaged at 10:07 a.m. on August 12 during excavation work at a special education school construction site in Unseo-dong, Yeongjong-gu.

Consequently, a nearby apartment complex consisting of 600 households experienced a blackout lasting about 4 hours and 23 minutes, causing inconvenience as residents were unable to use home appliances, including air conditioning.

Following the apartment resident representative council's collection of damage reports, 15 households claimed to have suffered property damage due to breakdowns of electrical equipment and home appliances.

An official from the resident representative council stated, "The temperature at the time approached 32°C (90°F), and because air conditioning units could not be used, residents including the elderly, infants, and newborns were exposed to discomfort and danger."

The location where the underground cable was damaged is the construction site for the first public special school (35 classes) in Yeongjong International City, which is scheduled to open in March 2028.

The construction company expressed apologies to the residents and promised compensation for electronic equipment breakdowns and spoiled frozen food caused by the blackout, as well as reimbursement for costs incurred by the management office.

However, citing the lack of clarity regarding responsibility for the blackout, the company showed reluctance to discuss an official compensation plan for all residents.

Through an official document, the construction company claimed, "The power line damaged at the construction site is intended to supply power to surrounding buildings and is a power line that should not have been buried within the site property."

It added, "Before conducting the driving work for support pipes to install site fences, we received confirmation from KEPCO that excavation within the site property was possible."

KEPCO maintains that it bears no responsibility for compensation, as it was confirmed that the apartment blackout was caused by the damaged underground cable, and the direct actor was the construction company.

A KEPCO official said, "Excavation workers basically have a responsibility to exercise caution for safety," adding, "Compensation for damages is a matter that must be negotiated between the construction company and the residents."

As negotiations over blackout compensation face difficulties, residents are urging the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education, the ordering agency, to actively step in for mediation.

An official from the resident representative council claimed, "Even upon hearing that two rounds of discussions had fallen through, the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education showed a passive attitude," and demanded, "Steps must be taken to formulate a compensation plan that residents can accept."

An official from the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education stated, "We are doing our best to mediate so that the differences between the residents and the construction company can be narrowed," but added, "There are aspects where the office of education finds it difficult to get involved regarding specific compensation amounts."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.