Safety worries haunt Lotte World
A police officer strings yellow tape after two workers were hospitalized while working at a concert hall construction site inside Lotte World, Friday. / Yonhap
Two workers electrocuted 3 days after reopening
By Jung Min-ho
Concerns over the safety of the second Lotte World are not dying down as another accident took place Friday when two construction workers were electrocuted while working at the problem-ridden leisure complex in southern Seoul.
According to Lotte, a short-circuit failure at a concert hall construction site on the building’s eighth floor caused a spark, which burned the workers’ face, arms and legs. The company said the workers were hospitalized but their injuries were not life-threatening.
The accident occurred only three days after the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) allowed Lotte to reopen its aquarium and movie theater, where operations had been suspended for five months due to safety concerns.
At that time, Lotte assured the city government, saying the building “is now safe.” Showing confidence, the company also adopted the “one strike out law,” Wednesday, which would punish people responsible for any accidents.
Staffers at the second Lotte World’s aquarium in southern Seoul welcome visitors, Tuesday, when it reopened after a five-month shutdown from safety problems.
Two people in charge of the concert hall construction project lost their jobs immediately after the accident, a Lotte official said.
“We are very sorry to have caused everyone anxiety,” the official said. “We will try our best to prevent similar accidents from happening.”
However, few believe the company is capable of keeping its word on safety anymore. A resident of Jamsil, where the complex is still being built, said a series of safety accidents have already created pervasive distrust among local people.
“It will be very difficult for the company to remove growing distrust of the building,” Lee Son-young, 35, said. “Almost every Jamsil resident I know says they feel the second Lotte World does more harm than good for the community.”
The mother of two children added such negative publicity is especially strong among mothers. “I often visit Lotte World Mall for shopping. But visiting its aquarium and theater still concerns me,” she said.
What worries people more than incidents is the nonchalant attitude of Lotte and the SMG, she noted.
The exterior of Lotte World Mall and the skyscraper that is being built
“Lotte has performed poorly in handing the accidents. People are more concerned because the company tried to cover up some of them,” she said.
After the latest accident, an SMG official said the city government decided to give a verbal warning to the firm.
“We will not give serious punishment such as a shutdown because it was not a major incident,” the official said. “We will urge the company to pay more attention to its safety management.”
The incident bodes ill for the managers of Lotte World Mall, who are striving to regain public trust that they have lost since its opening in October.
The new leisure complex has been embroiled in more than 10 safety incidents. Several workers fell to their deaths during the construction of the annexed skyscraper; a crack was found in one of the fish tanks; and moviegoers complained that they felt tremors and external noises while watching a film. Two visitors were also struck by glass doors, which fell onto them.
In response, Lotte launched a safety management committee in February. The company also promised to relocate its control tower and the offices of its chairman and founder to the skyscraper that will be completed next year.
Many worry that there might be more incidents to come.