The Seoul city government imposed a one-year suspension on HDC Hyundai Development Company for its responsibility in the collapse of the Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park.
According to the construction industry on the 16th, the Seoul city government announced on the 14th that it imposed an 8-month suspension on HDC Hyundai Development Company for "serious damage or casualties caused by poor construction" and a 4-month suspension for "serious accidents under the Industrial Safety and Health Act." The suspension period will be from June 9 to June 8 of next year.
Earlier, on Jan. 11, 2022, the floors and ceilings of the 23rd to 39th floors at the Hwajeong-dong I-Park construction site in Gwangju collapsed. Six workers died, and one was injured in the accident.
A total of 20 individuals, including HDC Hyundai Development Company as the primary contractor, subcontractors, and supervising companies, were indicted, and in January, the first trial court convicted some related parties, including the site manager. However, it found that the executives could not be held liable under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and ruled them not guilty.
HDC Hyundai Development Company stated, "After filing a request for a stay of execution against the administrative order, we plan to respond through a lawsuit for the cancellation of the administrative order." They also noted, "If the request for a stay of execution is accepted, there will be no impact on our business activities until the judgment of the cancellation lawsuit is made," adding that "even if the business suspension takes effect in the future, projects for which contracts have been concluded beforehand or that have commenced with permits and approvals according to relevant laws will proceed without being affected."