The government has devised ways to slap tougher penalties against illegal subcontracting 
in the wake of a building collapse in the southwestern city of Gwangju that killed nine people and injured eight others back in June. 

The ministries of transport, safety and finance unveiled the measures on Tuesday to avert casualties caused by incidents such as the one in Gwangju.

The government plans to introduce a system which will levy compensation of more than ten times the damages in cases related to illegal subcontracting that result in fatalities. Related parties will also face up to life in prison. 

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will team up with local governments to establish a special judicial police force to crack down on illegal subcontracting. This means that official police investigations, instead of an administrative inspection, will be carried out on unlawful subcontracting practices.

In a bid to boost the safety of demolition works, the government will increase management and supervision of such projects in phases and enforce strict punishments against any violations.