A police officer is seen on the road above the subway construction site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province on Friday, on which a traffic control has been imposed due to safety risk. (Yonhap)
A police officer is seen on the road above the subway construction site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province on Friday, on which a traffic control has been imposed due to safety risk. (Yonhap)

South Korean authorities on Friday restricted traffic on a route between the Gyeonggi Provincial cities of Gwangmyeong and Anyang, after examination of an underground subway construction site uncovered a risk of subsidence.

The traffic control was imposed at around 12:30 a.m. after construction officials of the new Sinansan Line -- a planned addition to the Seoul subway network Seoul area -- reported a potential ground settlement risk. All 17 workers at the site have evacuated the area, and no actual sinking or injuries occurred in the process.

Construction workers reported that the support for the tunnel, 30 meters underground, had broken and that they heard a suspicious sound from inside the tunnel.

Both lanes of the road from the Yangji Intersection in Iljik-dong of Gwangmyeong city to a three-way Hohyeon Junction in Bakdan-dong in the city of Anyang, parts of which sits above the construction site. Authorities said they would retain the traffic control until reinforcement of the structure is completed and safety of the people are procured.

The police and the city officials of Gwangmyeong are investigating the cause of the problem, along with a safety inspection of the tunnel and the area.

The Sinansan Line is a planned 29.7-kilometer route connecting Seoul with its satellite cities of Gwangmyeong, Ansan and Siheung.

The first phase of the construction will extend from Sa-dong, Ansan to the Yeouido Station in Seoul, set to commence operation in December of 2026, and will ultimately extend to the Seoul Station.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com