The Seongsu Bridge collapse killed 32 people in Seoul and exposed systemic failures in South Korea's rapid infrastructure development.
Key Facts
- Date of collapse
- October 21, 1994
- Deaths
- 32 people
- Injured
- 17 people
- Bridge opened
- 1979
- Officials convicted
- 17 people
- Bridge rank on Han River
- 11th bridge constructed
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Seongsu Bridge, opened in 1979 as the 11th crossing over the Han River, suffered from faulty welding, rusted extension hinges, and insufficient maintenance over the years. These compounding structural deficiencies went unaddressed despite the bridge being one of the busiest in Seoul.
On the morning of October 21, 1994, a section of the upper truss of the Seongsu Bridge collapsed onto the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. The sudden failure killed 32 people and injured 17 others who were on the bridge at the time.
Seventeen officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Dongbu Corporation, and Dong Ah Construction were convicted. Seoul's mayor and his successor both resigned. Dong Ah Construction's parent company later filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and dissolved in 2001. The disaster became part of a broader reckoning with South Korea's infrastructure safety during rapid modernization.