Cracks in the Ceiling: Business Suspended at NC Yatap Store for Safety Inspections

The Yatap Branch of the NC Department Store in Seongnam, Gyeonggi installed steel beams to prevent the ceiling from crumbling down on a clothing shop. Courtesy of a subscriber / Yonhap News

The Yatap branch of the NC Department Store in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi finally shut down after continuing normal operation with cracks in the gypsum board ceiling.

A representative of the NC Department Store announced on January 17, “We decided to suspend business for some time and to conduct a close safety inspection after considering the safety of our customers and partners.” He explained, “After consulting the Seongnam-si government and related authorities, we will select a professional safety inspection firm outside the company and conduct a thorough inspection.” NC Department Store will reopen after safety is ensured, according to the representative.

The safety issue at the NC Yatap Store was first released online around 2 p.m. Monday. One person posted a picture of the store on a Naver community (café) and wrote, “The situation is this bad, but we’re still open for business. I’m completely terrified.” The picture showed cracks in the ceiling, which was held up by temporary support beams. It also showed a shattered glass plate that had fallen.

People expressed concerns online claiming the store lacked safety awareness. They criticized the store and asked, “Shouldn’t they immediately evacuate the people and shut down the store?” and “Did they tolerate the collapse of Sampoong Department Store?”

The police and fire authorities received related reports and were dispatched to the site. They identified cracks in the gypsum board on several floors due to deterioration of the building.

The problem was that, even though no one was injured at the time, the department store continued business as usual without any special measures, such as evacuating the people entering the store. The store took emergency measures and installed support beams after placing wooden boards over the cracked ceiling. But they continued business until 9 p.m., the store closing time, without evacuating the customers or closing down facilities.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong even wrote about this issue on social media. He wrote, “They should have suspended operation and blocked entrance until they confirmed that it was safe, but the fact that they continued business in this state is proof that a lack of safety awareness remains widespread in our society.”

He continued, “There were also precursors in the past Sampoong Department Store, but they ignored them and stubbornly continued with business, eventually coming across a major accident.” He added, “Overreacting is better. I called Shin Sang-jin, the mayor of Seongnam, and asked him to immediately take necessary measures.”

The NC Department Store representative said, “We have our own guidelines, which state that we immediately stop operation when a safety problem occurs.” He explained, “We think the problem occurred yesterday because things did not go according to our guidelines.”

Previously in July 2018, there was an accident in the NC Yatap Store, where 6 m2 of the gypsum ceiling came down in a clothing shop on the second floor.