A sinkhole has occurred near the Lotte Department Store in Jung-gu, Seoul, leading to traffic control.
According to the fire department on the 26th, a sinkhole measuring approximately 50 cm in width and length, and about 2 m deep, was discovered at 9:49 PM at the intersection in front of the Bank of Korea, on the first lane of Namdaemun Road heading towards Euljiro Entrance Station.
The police dispatched to the scene immediately controlled traffic on two lanes in the direction where the sinkhole occurred and one lane on the opposite side for safety.
The Western Road Construction Office stated that they plan to deploy excavators for recovery work.
Seoul City is promoting sinkhole prevention measures using AI and advanced technology.
Meanwhile, in response to the recent spate of sinkhole incidents, Seoul City is preparing preventive measures utilizing advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor integration.
Seoul City has selected six ground subsidence prediction and detection technologies through a new technology competition and is set to begin on-site demonstrations at the end of this month.
This initiative is part of the fundamental response measures following a major sinkhole incident that occurred in March in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu.
Since April 30, Seoul City has received a total of 22 technology submissions in a ten-day period, and six technologies were finalized through a selection committee composed of experts recommended by 13 ground safety-related academic societies and associations.
The selection process utilized key evaluation criteria including technology, economic feasibility, applicability in the field, and expected effectiveness.
The selected technologies include a subsidence risk prediction technology utilizing satellite imagery and AI, a smart measurement system capable of real-time measurement through sensors, a field warning system that automatically lights up in case of subsidence, and a fiber-optic-based subsidence detection technology—advanced technologies integrated into early detection and prediction systems for ground subsidence.
A Seoul City official stated, "External experts participating from the competition stage will evaluate the demonstration results to objectively verify the reliability and field applicability of the technologies," adding, "Once the demonstration is completed, outstanding technologies will be selected after final expert reviews, and we plan to pilot them at major excavation sites in Seoul starting in the second half of this year."
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