hankyoreh

Police and firefighting personnel measure the depth of a sinkhole that appeared in a road in Seoul’s Yeonhui neighborhood on Aug. 29, 2024. (Yonhap)

Concerns are growing among local residents over the discovery of a series of sinkholes and subsiding roads in Seoul’s city center after a sinkhole that opened up on a road in the Yeonhui neighborhood of Seodaemun District left two with serious injuries. In some areas, sinkholes appeared just three months after surveys by municipal authorities confirmed there was no problem, leaving people feeling uneasy despite exhaustive inspections by the city.

“The scary thing is that sinkholes are unpredictable,” said a 38-year-old surnamed Kang, who runs a pharmacy near the area where the sinkhole appeared in Yeonhui.

“We had a sinkhole open up in a place that was said to be okay in a survey three months ago, so people are saying sinkholes could appear in other places too. I can’t do anything about it, all I can do is trust that the government will take proper action,” they told the Hankyoreh on Sunday.

With regard to the spot in Yeonhui where a sinkhole appeared on Thursday, the city claimed that the section of road is subject to regular inspections under the five-year joint survey plan and that a ground penetrating radar (GPR) probe conducted on this section in May had found no voids that would indicate a subsurface sinkhole.

A series of reports of sinkholes and sinking roads over the weekend has led to growing fears over not knowing when and where a sinkhole might appear. 

“I was relieved that it was all over when people came to fill the hole on the road where the accident occurred, but then I heard about another portion of Seongsan Road sinking as well,” said Lee Jong-suk, 63, who runs a tile store near the site of the Yeonhui sinkhole. 

“Sinkholes are frightening because they are hidden below the road’s surface,” she said. 

A 21-year-old surnamed Cho witnessed the sinkhole appear when they went out to meet a friend near Yeonhui. 

“It struck me that we don’t know when or where an accident might occur, and this could happen to me too,” they said. “I was on the bus and I was holding on to the rails for dear life since I thought something might be happening again.”

A number of Seoulites are fuming at the inability of the government and municipal authorities to address the problem. 

“People who live in this neighborhood have no choice but to pass through this road,” said a local resident surnamed Yang, 50, who owns a flower shop and passes the road where the Yeonhui sinkhole appeared every day. “You can’t avoid a sinkhole accident even if you want to, but the government and district office seem to be just telling people to do their best to steer clear of them, so I’m very anxious.”

“I was shocked to read an article that mentioned a sinkhole could easily lead to a massive tragedy if it struck a city gas pipe,” said a person surnamed Lee, 32, who works at a nearby company. “I think this accident is an omen for potentially larger accidents that could occur in the future, so I hope the local government takes thorough measures.”

By Lee Ji-hye, staff reporter

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