20 Tourists Fall in Mt. Geumgang Bridge Collapse

The Muryong Bridge in Mt. Geumgang collapsed on Monday with 20 South Korean tourists on it, falling about five meters. Although six were severely injured, they were promptly transported to a hospital in South Korea and none of them are in critical condition.

According to Hyundai Asan, the flexible 24.2-meter long Muryong Bridge located 300 meters below the Guryong Waterfall on the North Korean side of Mt. Geumgang collapsed on Sunday at around 10:40 in the morning after the steel wires sustaining the bridge became loose. As a result, 20 South Korean tourists, including 57-year-old Jin Deok-soon, fell off the bridge. Jin who had her leg fractured, and five others, were severely injured.

Immediately after the accident, staff from the Mt. Geumgang office and South Korean guides went to the site and rescued all the victims. They received emergency treatment in a hospital in Onjeongkak Rest House on the North Korean side and were later sent to hospitals in nearby Sokcho and Gangneung in South Korea in ambulances accompanied by their families.

An official from Hyundai Asan said, “Fortunately, the victims were holding on to the bridge, so most of their injuries were relatively mild. None of them were unconscious and 14 of them climbed down the mountain on foot.

Hyundai Asan is looking into the exact cause of the accident. With more than 3,000 tourists visiting everyday, some suspect that the bridge was unable to hold so much foot traffic. In addition, 20 tourists on the bridge at once may have been the cause as only five people are recommended to cross it at one time.

Another official said, “There were around 1,300 tourists at the site, including the bridge, just that morning.”

Hyundai Asan built the bridge, which is on the path between the Guryong Waterfall and the Sangpaldam, in 1998 after tearing down the previous bridge there that had been built by the North.

The bridge is the last among eight laid down en route to the waterfall from Onjeongkak. It is located an hour and ten minutes walk away from the entrance of the mountain.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Asan clarified that no problems were found in a recent safety check of the bridge. It said, “We run safety checks every year. We didn’t spot anything wrong in the four check-ups conducted this year.”

Hyundai Asan also announced that there will be no changes to the mountain tour schedules because tourists can use another road that goes around the bridge. It added that internal reviews are being taken to decide whether to repair the broken bridge or to build a safer type of bridge.