On March 24th, a large sinkhole incident occurred in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, resulting in the death of a delivery worker in his 30s.
A massive hole, approximately 20 meters deep, equivalent to a 7-story apartment building, suddenly appeared on the road, and the motorcyclist passing by was buried without a chance to escape.
The victim was Mr. Park, a man in his 30s, who was working in deliveries as a side job while being the head of his family. He met his unfortunate end while delivering after leaving the office.
His body was found 17 hours after the incident, 50 meters from the center of the sinkhole.
“The ground was just unexpectedly open, and it was hard to even speak when I was at the scene. Firefighters also found it difficult to answer me,” the bereaved family first expressed their feelings in an exclusive interview with MBC’s ‘PD Notebook’.
Fire authorities explained the difficulties faced during the rescue operation. A firefighting official stated, “The area was mixed with water and earth, and the heavy machinery from nearby construction sites got tangled up, making rescue operations challenging.”
The rescue team was eventually able to retrieve the body by removing the earth with heavy machinery and simultaneously conducting drainage operations.
Experts point out that this incident was a predictable human-made disaster. It was revealed through a coverage investigation that nearby small business owners, academic societies, and construction officials had reported warning signs of the sinkhole to the Seoul authorities, yet no appropriate measures had been put in place.
The sinkhole issue is spreading nationwide. In Saha-gu, Busan, a sinkhole has occurred 14 times from 2023 to April 2025, raising residents’ concerns.
Young-hak Kim, who runs a factory in this area, experienced an accident where a truck fell into an 8-meter deep sinkhole, resulting in damages of about 100 million won, including the cost of goods. Mr. Kim reported that he had to avoid the road for a while due to trauma.
According to data provided by the office of Assemblyman Yong-gap Park, a total of 2,119 sinkholes occurred nationwide over 10 years from 2015 to 2023.
It has been 10 years since the 2014 Sinkhole accident at Seokchon underpass in Songpa-gu, Seoul, yet similar incidents continue to occur.
‘PD Notebook’ analyzed the commonalities of large-scale sinkhole accidents, with human casualties, with experts and conducted an in-depth investigation into the causes of sinkholes occurring throughout cities like Seoul and Busan.
This coverage title <PD Notebook: City with Holes, Why Did They Fall into Sinkholes?> is scheduled to air on Tuesday, May 13th, at 10:20 PM.
