Lotte, the constructor and operator of the 123 story-Lotte World in southwestern Seoul, on Wednesday expressed regret over the death of a construction worker at its site as well as the shutdown of the facility’s cinema and aquarium due possibly to shoddy construction.

“We apologize to the citizens for the accidents that took place at Lotte World Mall including the death of a worker at the concert hall construction site. We will follow the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s guidelines and regulations to prevent any further accidents in the future,” Lotte Corp. CEO Lee Won-woo said in a news conference held at the shopping mall. 

The CEOs of Lotte World, Lotte Cinema and Lotte Engineering and Construction bowed together after the apology.

Lee’s comments came a day after the municipal government decided to suspend the operations of the building’s aquarium and cinema over safety concerns. Water leakage was detected from the aquarium and ‘intolerable vibration’ was reported at screening rooms last week.

The authorities also ordered the construction of the concert hall to be halted after a worker identified by his surname Kim died on Tuesday.

Lotte reportedly hesitated to call an ambulance ― possibly concerned at the uproar another accident may cause ― and this may have led to the man’s death, according to those close to the matter. The Lotte Corp. head and Kim Chi-hyun, chief executive of Lotte E&C, met with Kim’s family. The exact cause of his death has yet to be verified.

Kim is the second person to have lost his life in the Lotte mall project, following the death of a plumber in April. It is also one of the string of mishaps involving the construction of the skyscraper that was initially set to open in 2016.

The company pushed up the deadline for six of the floors based on a temporary authorization from the Seoul government, despite the detection of cracks on the ceiling and floors. Water leakage had also been detected in the parking lot and metal components fell from some of the floors.

“We will authorize the resumption of the operation after everything is found to be secure,” said Cho Sung-guk, an SMG official. The authorities have appointed a group of experts to re-examine the building and scrutinize the improvements being made.

“We have also acknowledged that the emergency safety measures were incomplete and have ordered Lotte to mend this too,” he added.

Lotte, which had remained rather coy about the allegations, has finally stepped up. “We take full responsibility. Things will improve,” a Lotte official said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)