Seoul Responds to Board of Audit and Inspection's Safety Concerns on Sports Facilities: Reinforcements Underway and Additional Verification Planned

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated regarding the Board of Audit and Inspection's (BAI) findings on structural safety issues at major sports facilities in the city, including Gocheok Sky Dome and Jamsil Sports Complex, that "most of these matters are already undergoing safety reinforcements or detailed safety diagnoses," adding that it will reconfirm safety through additional verification.

During the interim announcement of the audit results on the "Safety Management Status of Multi-Use Sports Facilities" today (October 21), the BAI pointed out that the steel roof truss reinforcements at Gocheok Sky Dome were insufficient and that structural safety reviews regarding wind pressure were inadequate for the roof structure of Jamsil Sports Complex.

For Seoul World Cup Stadium, the BAI also noted as a problem that structural safety was reviewed without reflecting the load of a 120-ton bulgamak (traditional Korean kiln) facility.

In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that for Gocheok Sky Dome, after discovering bending in 23 steel roof trusses during a regular safety inspection in June 2024, steel plates were welded to reinforce the load on a total of 97 trusses—including those 23 and 74 surrounding affected trusses—by March of this year.

The city particularly refuted the audit finding, stating, "The claim that reinforcement work was carried out solely based on the contractor's opinion is not true," and added that the construction was conducted following expert consultation.

It added that in August, an AI-based roof steel safety monitoring system equipped with 29 sensors was established for real-time monitoring, and no abnormalities have been found to date.

However, as the BAI pointed out the need to further verify the appropriateness of the reinforcement method, the city plans to commission the Korean Society of Steel Construction for verification next month.

Regarding Jamsil Sports Complex, the city stated that it has been conducting a detailed safety diagnosis since July to verify the safety of the cantilever structure serving as the roof, and is separately verifying the necessity of reinforcements through the Korean Society of Steel Construction.

The BAI pointed out that the remodeling project for Jamsil Sports Complex was pushed forward without reviews such as wind tunnel tests, even though the roof structure was diagnosed as lacking sufficient support against wind pressure under unobstructed, open conditions.

In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that wind tunnel tests were conducted between July and September to check the effects of actual wind, and the wind load on the lower space of the roof was confirmed to be appropriate.

Regarding the issue involving the 120-ton bulgamak facility load at Seoul World Cup Stadium, the city stated that following expert consultation results this month indicating the need for a structural safety review for accurate diagnosis, it plans to commission a specialized institution for review within the year and carry out reinforcement work if necessary.

The city also stated that reinforcement work is underway in response to the BAI's criticism regarding fire response facilities.

Gocheok Sky Dome and Seoul World Cup Stadium are carrying out construction to secure the emergency generator capacity required for firefighting equipment in the event of a fire, with completion scheduled for early next year.

At Jangchung Gymnasium, the existing dual-purpose firefighting generator was replaced with a fire-dedicated power-preserving generator last month.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated, "Structural safety reinforcements are being pursued through expert consultation and detailed safety diagnoses," adding, "We will also conduct additional verification to secure firm trust in safety and further strengthen our accident prevention system."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.