Unlicensed S. Korean firm joined construction of collapsed Malaysian stadium: ministry

Koh Byung-joon
SEOUL, June 5 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government confirmed Friday that an
unlicensed local construction firm was found to have joined in building the roof
of a recently collapsed Malaysian stadium.
On Tuesday, the roof of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak of
Malaysia collapsed just a year after it opened. The accident left no people
injured or dead but it inflicted an estimated 8.9 billion won (US$7 million) in
damage.
"We confirmed that a South Korean company named Sowon Plant Construction
participated in the construction of the roof of the stadium," the Ministry of
Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said. "The company participated in building
the stadium without receiving a license for overseas construction."
Under Korean law, local builders have to get seperate approval from the
government to engage in the overseas construction business. Violaters of the law
face imprisonment of up to one year or 10 million won in fines.
"We will take necessary actions against Sowon in accordance with related laws,"
the ministry said. "We will also make efforts to stem the negative impact of the
accident on the other local construction firms by monitoring following
developments through our embassy staff there."
Sowon is a small construction firm capitalized at 1.2 billion won. Company
officials said that it will cooperate with the investigation underway to
determine the exact cause of the collapse.
Completed in May last year, the stadium had been serving as a venue for major
sports games in Malaysia by accommodating up to 50,000 people.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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