Seoul, Dec 18 : One worker was killed and two others were injured after steel bars collapsed at an underground construction site at a subway station in western Seoul on Thursday, authorities said.

The accident occurred at 1:22 pm at the Sinansan Line construction site near Yeouido Station, while concrete was being poured underground, according to police and rescue officials. Seven workers were initially trapped but were later rescued, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The steel bars installed in the tunnel excavation area about 70 meters underground collapsed and struck a concrete placement vehicle driven by a 53-year-old man, leaving him in cardiac arrest. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Another male worker in his 50s was taken to a hospital with a minor ankle injury, while a foreign worker in his 30s came out of the site on his own and received treatment for minor scrapes on his wrist.

The remaining workers evacuated to a vertical shaft before being rescued by firefighters.

Police and the labor ministry said they plan to investigate the cause of the accident and whether safety protocols were followed.

Construction at the site, managed by POSCO E&C, will be suspended until the investigation is complete, they noted.

Shortly after the incident, Song Chi-young, president of POSCO E&C, visited the site and offered a public apology.

"We will cooperate sincerely and transparently throughout the entire investigation process," he said.

On December 12, South Korea's Land Minister said that government plans to introduce a special law to strengthen construction workplace safety and enforce tougher penalties for fatal accidents, in response to a growing number of such incidents at construction sites.

Land Minister Kim Yun-duk announced the plan during a policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung held in the central administrative city of Sejong, noting that construction-related fatalities account for about 40 per cent of all industrial deaths in the country.

According to Kim, the envisioned special law will clearly define safety responsibilities at work sites and allow authorities to impose stronger sanctions when deadly accidents occur due to poor oversight.

Since taking office in June, the president has reiterated the need for stronger measures to prevent industrial accidents following a series of accidents at workplaces managed by major construction companies.

Beyond construction, the minister said safety initiatives will also extend to transportation infrastructure, noting the government's plan to bolster aviation safety through airport facility upgrades and additional air traffic controllers.

On housing supply measures, Kim promised to push ahead with the government's pledge to supply 1.1 million public housing units, a key policy agenda of the administration, and announce related measures in the first half of 2026.

/IANS