Investigation finds some earth began to cascade near military base

Local officials
 are playing a blame game over who’s at fault for the deaths of 18 citizens last week by multiple landslides from Mount Umyeon in the southern tip of Seoul.

Seoul municipality and the ward of Seocho, which have been under fire for their failure to take precautionary measures, on Monday pointed their finger at a military base which is located near the peak of the mountain. The Defense Ministry said it did not agree to the presumption. 

Landslides occurred at the mountain on Wednesday morning, triggered by days of torrential rain. It killed 18 people in nearby towns including Bangbae-dong and Jeonwon village. Mud reached three stories high on some buildings there.

A team of public officials and civilian experts investigating the landslides held an unscheduled press briefing Monday, mindful of the finger-pointing.

“We found that one of the landslides started near the military base, which is located near the peak of Mount Umyeon,” said Jeong Hyeong-shik, a private engineering expert who is leading investigation into the landslides.

“But we need further investigation to determine whether army facilities were a factor that contributed to the generation of the landslides,” he said.

Officials from the Defense Ministry may be asked to join the probe, if needed, he added.

Separately, a Defense Ministry official told reporters that the army base at the peak of Mount Umyeon was unlikely to be the main cause of the landslides.

Earlier, a controversy flared up after it was revealed that the Korea Forest Service had sent text messages to the Seocho Ward Office, warning the office of possible landslides and urging it to alert its citizens.

On the day of the landslides, other ward offices of Seoul, including neighboring Gangnam, issued a landslide advisory. But Seocho, whereat Mount Umyeon and landslide-hit villages are located, didn’t.

Seocho initially denied receiving such messages from the forest authority. It admitted later that the messages were sent to the wrong people, because the office had not updated the contact information of the officials in charge of receiving landslide warnings since 2006.

According to the national forest authority, some part of Mount Umyeon was classified as the highest risk area for a landslide when the heaviest downpour in a century battered Seoul and central regions last week.

A Seocho official argued that the forest authority should have acted more responsibly if it was that dangerous, rather than just sending mobile phone messages.

“The forest agency sends text messages automatically at times of heavy rains,” the official said.

Meanwhile, some residents of the affected villages are preparing to sue local authorities, claiming that their neglect of duties led to the calamity. They claim the authorities did not take due measures to stave off landslides even though concerns have persistently been raised since a small earthfall occurred last year.

The mini-earthfall should have provided a chance for the ward officials to seek precautionary measures, the residents said.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)