Rescue Efforts Resume for Missing Worker at Collapsed Gwangmyeong Subway Site

Search operations restarted after weather delays as safety inspections and investigations expand across South Korea's underground construction projects.

Rescue teams resumed searching for a worker missing for over 48 hours at the Gwangmyeong subway construction site, with the worker believed to be 35 to 40 meters underground.
Operations had been suspended on April 12 due to hazardous weather conditions, delaying efforts to locate the missing laborer in his 50s.
Authorities are conducting ground-penetrating radar surveys and safety inspections at multiple underground construction sites in Seoul and Busan to address recurring sinkholes and collapses.
Recent sinkholes in Busan and Seoul, including one near the Sasang-Hadan subway construction site, have raised concerns over structural flaws, poor waterproofing, and unstable ground conditions.
Public demand for stricter oversight and comprehensive geotechnical assessments has intensified following a series of underground infrastructure failures across South Korea.