Police raid safety inspection companies in probe into collapsed retaining wall in Osan

Police investigating the July 16 collapse of a retaining wall in Osan, Gyeonggi, conducted raids Wednesday on safety inspection companies connected to the structure.

Firefighters respond after a retaining wall under an overpass collapses and crushes a vehicle passing beneath at Gajang Interchange in Osan, Gyeonggi, on July 16. [GYEONGGI FIRE AND DISASTER HEADQUARTERS]

Police investigating the July 16 collapse of a retaining wall in Osan, Gyeonggi, conducted raids Wednesday on safety inspection companies connected to the structure.

The special investigation team at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said it began executing search warrants at 9 a.m. on four safety inspection firms in connection with the collapse of a retaining wall beneath an overpass near Gajang Interchange in Osan’s Gajang-dong.

On Aug. 4, the task force booked three Osan city officials — a team leader in the roads division and two junior officials — on charges of occupational negligence resulting in death.

They are accused of failing to fulfill their duty to prevent the collapse, which occurred at 7:04 p.m. on July 16 on the Seoburo overpass heading toward Suwon.

A section of the 10-meter (32.8-foot) high retaining wall gave way, crushing a passing car and killing a man in his 40s.

Possible contributing factors cited include heavy rainfall of 39.5 millimeters (1.6 inches) that day, inadequate road closures despite potholes and cracks that posed a collapse risk, substandard construction and poor road maintenance.

On July 22, police also raided the Osan city government, the builder of the overpass Hyundai Engineering & Construction and the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety, which oversaw the project’s safety management.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff. BY CHO MUN-GYU [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]