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The Breakdown of the Luxury Sampoong Shopping Mall Collapse
How did a shopping mall catering for the rich collapse?
They were seemingly harmless cracks on the wall.
A shopping mall staff joked that if she and her friend shook it hard, the building might just come falling down. But here’s the thing-
It really did. The building collapsed later on that day, claiming over 500 victims, including the happy-go-lucky staff.
What made this tragedy worse was all this could have been avoided.
How did a Shopping Mall for the Rich Collapse?
It would be South Korea’s first time hosting the Olympics in 3 years, leading to a frenzy development boom. And with South Korea’s regulations banning foreign contractors, South Korea’s developers had their plate full, taking on more projects than ever, and working as fast as they could.
Beneath Sampoong Department Store was a piece of land meant for a four-floor residential apartment. Construction had already begun for the residential apartment by Woosung Construction when the future chairman of the Sampoong Department store, Lee Joon, decided to change it to a department store. It would be the start of the many mistakes made.
