July 07, 2011 12:59
The Gwangjin District office in Seoul has withdrawn an evacuation order for the TechnoMart shopping mall complex, which was subject to a mysterious tremor on Tuesday, a spokesman said.
"After an emergency safety check of TechnoMart, we concluded that there is no big problem with the structure of the building," said Park Jong-yong of the Gwangjin District Office. "We're withdrawing the evacuation order as of 9 a.m. on Thursday on condition that vibrometers are installed in the building."
Business will resume as an entry ban has been lifted. Nine vibration measuring instruments will be set up at seven locations in the building. But the 4D multiplex cinema on the 11th floor and the fitness center on the 12th floor, which are suspected of being the sources of the tremor, will remain off-limits.
"We need to keep trying to find the cause through safety checks and will continue to monitor the complex with the vibrometers," Park said.
The District Office on Tuesday asked the Korea Infrastructure Safety and Technology Corporation to carry out an overall inspection of the mall. Inspectors checked for ground subsidence or any cracks in columns, walls, and beams on seven floors, as well as the sixth basement floor, where a machine room is located, but found no problems.
In a briefing, Park Koo-byung of KISTEC said it will carry out a full inspection of all 45 floors of the complex, which will take about three months.
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