Door falls on customer in Lotte Mall

By Lee Kyung-min

A woman suffered injuries to her back and shoulder after an inadequately secured door fell on her at the new Lotte World in Jamsil, Seoul on Saturday night.

The woman, aged 25 and surnamed Jung, was taken by Lotte officials to a nearby hospital for treatment and did not sustain serious injuries.

Jung was reportedly walking through an entrance on the first floor at 6:00 p.m. when the door fell on her back, according to the firm.

Lotte said they are investigating to find the precise cause of the accident, and added that the door will be fixed.

“We don’t yet know why the entrance door came off its hinges,” said a Lotte official. “We are doing our best to make sure that she receives good treatment and we are conducting safety inspections on all doors in the building.”

The incident occurred just 10 days after the firm apologized for a series of problems and mishaps that have taken place in the building located in southern Seoul over the past months, prompting promises from the company to step up safety precautions.

On Dec. 17, Lotte Corp., Lotte Engineering & Construction, Lotte World, and Lotte Cinema held a press conference apologizing for previous incidents including the appearance of cracks in a floor and a leak from a water tank in an aquarium located inside the building, saying they would “take proper safety measures.”

Their response came a day after the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) suspended operations at the aquarium and closed down a movie theater inside the building.

On Dec. 10, a government inspection team discovered at least three cracks leaking water at the Lotte Aquarium, two are still not repaired.

Two days later, the chairs in a 4D movie theater on the eighth floor of the tower were reported to be vibrating excessively, as well as the screen, which was not supposed to shake at all. Firefighters arrived at the scene after a customer reported that the place “shook hard.” Lotte temporarily closed the theater.

On Dec. 16, a construction worker, surnamed Kim, was found dead. Police said he was presumed to have fallen while working.

He sustained serious injuries to his skull, neck and left leg and died while en route to a nearby hospital, officers at Songpa Police Station said at the time. Construction at the site has since been halted.