Wall collapses in Osan, killing man, month after inspection found 'no issues'

A man died after a retaining wall collapsed in Osan. Police are investigating the incident and previous complaints.

A vehicle is crushed under the collapsed retaining wall of the Gajang Overpass in Osan on July 16. [YONHAP]

Police have launched a special investigation team to probe the collapse of a retaining wall beneath an overpass in Osan, Gyeonggi, that killed a man in his 40s.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Thursday it had formed a 13-member task force to investigate the incident, which occurred Wednesday at 7:04 p.m. on a section of the Seoburo overpass near Gajang Interchange heading toward Suwon.

A 10-meter (32.8-foot) retaining wall collapsed and crushed a car traveling beneath, killing the driver.

Police are examining whether the incident falls under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which includes a clause on serious public disasters. The law can be applied when a fatality occurs or at least 10 people are seriously injured in an accident caused by defects in the design, manufacturing, installation, or management of public facilities or transportation systems. If the cause is proven to be poor maintenance by the responsible entity, criminal charges can follow.

The overpass, part of the 27.6-kilometer (17.1 miles) Seoburo road connecting Pyeongtaek and Suwon, Gyeonggi, was completed by the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in 2011 and handed over to Osan, Gyeonggi, the following year through a donation-in-kind arrangement.

Osan conducted a safety inspection of the retaining wall just last month. The structure was rated Grade B, meaning no critical safety issues were found, though inspectors noted “plastic deformation of asphalt caused by repeated heavy vehicle loading and high temperatures.”

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]

However, a safety complaint was filed Tuesday morning — just a day before the collapse — via the government's safety reporting app. The complaint warned of “subsidence on the right side of the second lane and a risk of collapse in the event of rainwater infiltration.”

“In response to the complaint, the roads division replied that an emergency reinforcement would be conducted through a maintenance contractor, and a site restoration plan was drawn up for July 18. Unfortunately, the accident occurred before that,” a city official said.

“Around 4 p.m. on the day of the accident, a pothole approximately 40 centimeters [16 inches] in diameter formed on the road above the retaining wall,” the official added. “While we were conducting repairs and had closed both directions of the overpass, we did not anticipate the wall itself would collapse.”

Police responding to reports of subsidence on the overpass spotted anomalies in the ground beneath and relayed their findings to Osan at around 5 p.m. — two hours before the accident. Despite the warning, the city only repaired the road's surface and took no further action.

Firefighters carry out rescue operations after a 10-meter retaining wall under an overpass collapses and crushes a vehicle at Gajang Interchange in Osan, Gyeonggi, around 7:04 p.m. on July 16. [GYEONGGI FIRE AND DISASTER HEADQUARTERS]

A similar incident occurred at the same site on Sept. 22, 2018, when a 20-meter (22-yard) stretch of the opposite retaining wall collapsed. No one was injured at the time, but debris from the collapse blocked a two-lane road for more than 12 hours.

Visiting the site Thursday, Osan Mayor Lee Kwon-jae offered condolences to the victim’s family and vowed to respond swiftly and formulate preventive measures.

Gyeonggi has begun an emergency inspection of all retaining walls made with reinforced soil along embankment roads similar to the one that collapsed in Osan.

Inspections will continue through Sunday, with immediate repairs or reinforcements planned for any sites showing signs of structural risk. Privately owned retaining walls on building sites will also be reviewed in consultation with relevant departments to determine the scope and method of additional inspections.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY CHOI MO-RAN [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]