Flooding at a construction site for the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, May 11. (Yonhap News)

The rush to finish before the president leaves office has resulted in 363 industrial safety citations in 2011 alone

A series of collapses at Four Major Rivers Restoration Project construction sites has raised about potential safety issues and flooding damages during the rainy season.

Democratic Party Lawmaker Kim Jin-ai held an emergency press conference Thursday at the National Assembly and said, “These incidents that occurred over the course of dredging and construction without any kind of safety measures due to the speed campaign to finish the weir and dredging on the Four Major Rivers before the wet season beginning in late June.”

“There is a possibility of greater disaster involving loss of life, potable water problems, and flooding after June,” Kim added.

Reports also show serious safety issues the project’s construction sites. According to materials received from the Ministry of Employment and Labor by Grand National Party Lawmaker Ahn Hong-joon, a total of 363 industrial safety citations were made this year as of April 20, including correction orders for the project’s work sites, usage interruptions, work interruptions, and negligence fines. This represents a more than sixfold increase from 2010. In particular, a full 294 citations were made on April 1 and 2. Analysts are attributing the increase in safety citations to the speed campaign of rushing to complete the project without conducting adequate safety inspections.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]