The last missing worker from the Gwangju library construction collapse was found dead, raising the death toll to four. Police raided the main contractor amid investigations into safety lapses, as the government pushes for stricter construction safety laws.
Update on Gwangju Library Collapse: On Saturday, December 13, the body of the final missing worker, 58-year-old Kim, was recovered at 11:20 a.m. from the collapsed site in Buk-gu, Gwangju—following the earlier discovery of 68-year-old Ko at 1:03 a.m. that day. Two others died on Thursday, December 11, when the two-story structure failed during rooftop concrete pouring, trapping four subcontractor technicians.
The library, built by the Gwangju metropolitan government on a former waste incineration plant site 300 km south of Seoul, partially collapsed to the underground level.
Police and labor authorities raided the main contractor's headquarters to review safety compliance documents. A Gwangju Ministry of Employment and Labor official vowed a thorough probe into structural causes and accountability. Land Minister Kim Yun-duk announced plans for a special law to enhance construction safety and penalize fatal accidents, amid rising incidents and President Lee Jae Myung's calls for prevention since June.
