The Seoul city government on Thursday rejected a request from Lotte Group to open the lower floors of a mega skyscraper in the Jamsil area, citing safety concerns and traffic congestion.

Lotte has been seeking Seoul’s approval since June to use the completed lower floors of the 123-story highrise that is being built as a part of a complex called the Second Lotte World Tower. It will be the tallest building in South Korea when completed in late 2016. The city government, however, turned down the request, calling on Lotte to fully meet safety requirements.

Both Lotte and the city have been conducting safety checks on the complex after employees were killed at the construction site. Experts also are looking into possible damage that the construction may be inflicting on the surrounding environment.

(hnpark@heraldcorp.com)