![Seoul city is conducting emergency demolition work on the Seosomun overpass, where a slab collapse occurred during bridge demolition. The area around the site in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, has been cordoned off as of May 28. [Photo=Yonhap News]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/05/29/20260529215846664483.jpg)
The demolition of the main structure of the Seosomun overpass in Seoul, which resulted in six casualties, was completed approximately 79 hours after the collapse. Train services on the Gyeongui Line, which had been suspended due to the incident, will resume with the first train on May 30.
The Seoul city government announced that the emergency demolition of the overpass began at midnight on May 29 and was completed by 9:40 p.m. the same day.
However, not all demolition work has been finalized. Columns deemed to have a lower risk of collapse will be removed in a manner that does not disrupt train operations within the next 10 days.
Restoration work on the tracks for the Gyeongui Line will continue overnight. The Korea National Railway Corporation plans to complete maintenance of railway facilities, including overhead lines, by around 5 a.m. on May 30, allowing train services to resume with the first train.
The Seosomun overpass experienced a collapse on the morning of May 26 when a girder supporting the upper slab sank by about 2.9 centimeters, halting construction. Later that day, during a safety inspection, part of the slab collapsed, resulting in the deaths of three construction workers and injuries to three public officials. The Ministry of Employment and Labor ordered a halt to demolition work immediately following the incident.
After implementing safety measures to prevent further collapses, the city applied to the labor ministry for permission to resume work and received conditional approval on the afternoon of May 28. Subsequently, emergency demolition began at midnight on May 29.
Before the incident, work was conducted only during early morning hours for about three hours each day to avoid disrupting train operations. However, following the collapse, the priority shifted to rapid recovery and the resumption of train services, leading to the use of crushing methods to expedite demolition.
To protect the tracks, the city laid steel plates at the site and filled sand to prevent shock from reaching the subway Line 2 tunnel. The slab over the tracks, designated as number 9, and its supporting structure were removed at 4:43 a.m. on May 29, with the last remaining slab, number 8, being demolished by 9:40 p.m.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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