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5 buildings leaning in southern Seoul

November 11, 2014
(Yonhap)

(Yonhap)

By Jung Min-ho

Five buildings located close to sinkholes in southern Seoul were discovered to be leaning, fueling fear among residents.

According to Songpa District Office, Monday, five buildings close to where the extension of subway line No. 9 is being built in Songpa-gu are tilting apparently due to ground subsidence.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and the district office are investigating the cause.

“We learned of the issue on Nov. 4 when a community service center told us,” a district official said. “It reported that the subway construction is believed to be the cause.”

This is the latest safety concern in the area, which has been plagued by sinkholes recently.

Some residents wrote complaints on the district office website; some fear a possible collapse of buildings.

“I’m concerned that it might cause a tragic accident,” a resident wrote. “I cannot sleep well at night because of the fear.”

So far, the city government and the district office have not found any link between the land subsidence and the construction.

SMG has yet to acknowledge any land subsidence that may be occurring.

“The owners of the buildings in question are doing repair work, and we cannot confirm that buildings are leaning…yet,” an SMG official said.

SK Engineering & Construction, which is in charge of the area’s subway project, believes that the problem has nothing to do with the construction.

“We are waiting for the final results of the investigation,” an SK spokesman said. “We think that they have nothing to do with each other.”

One Comment

  1. Dani

    November 15, 2014 at 8:00 AM

    So which buildings are leaning? I might want to avoid them…

    Reply