Anchor: Sinkholes are the subject of growing concern throughout the country, especially since the tragic death of a motorcyclist who fell into a massive sinkhole in Seoul’s Gangdong area last month. While authorities have identified some of the factors that cause sinkholes, and local governments have announced preventive steps to make the roads safer, a lack of equipment and skilled personnel has kept these initiatives on very shaky ground.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: A series of sinkhole accidents in recent months, some of them catastrophic, is ringing alarm bells and leading the public to question the safety of the country’s roads. 

In Seoul’s Gangdong District, a motorcyclist lost his life on March 24 after a 20-meter-wide, 20-meter-deep sinkhole opened him up and swallowed him. 

In August of last year, three people suffered serious injuries after their vehicle fell into a sinkhole in Seoul’s Yeonhui area that was six meters long, four meters wide and two-point-five meters deep.

Two trucks fell into a sinkhole in the southeastern city of Busan in September, and a similar accident occurred in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, in February.

According to the land ministry, two-thousand-85 sinkholes were reported nationwide between 2014 and 2023, of which the largest number, 429, occurred in Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital.

Gangwon Province trailed Gyeonggi Province with 270 sinkholes, and Seoul was next on the list with 216.

Local governments and the Korea Authority of Land and Infrastructure Safety have identified aging sewage pipes, underground water leaks and poor construction as major causes of sinkholes, a form of ground subsidence.

The construction of increasing numbers of subway routes and underground roads has also come under scrutiny as a potential cause.

With the public demanding preventive measures to forestall future tragedies, local governments have put forth solutions such as artificial intelligence-based safety inspections and ground-penetrating radar exploration systems.

But no easy solutions are in sight, as many communities have yet to purchase the necessary equipment or recruit trained personnel to operate the systems.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.