Audit finds partial collapse risk at five Korean stadiums, including Gocheok Sky Dome
In short
The Board of Audit and Inspection said on 21 October that five large sports facilities, including Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome and Jamsil Sports Complex, face a risk of partial collapse in heavy snow or strong wind. At Gocheok, 23 of 466 roof truss joints were bent beyond tolerance and only one side was reinforced, and the audit found the joints still lack bearing capacity. An audit official said closure is not being considered but that quick fixes are needed.
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The Board of Audit and Inspection released interim results on 21 October of an audit of safety management at large sports facilities. The audit covered 25 facilities with at least 100,000 spectators a year. The board said five of them, Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul World Cup Stadium, Jamsil Sports Complex, Incheon Munhak Stadium and Jeonju World Cup Stadium, face a risk of partial collapse of roofs or columns in heavy snow or strong wind. Kukmin Ilbo reported that 14 of the 25 had facility defects or poor safety management. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 10 ]
At Gocheok Sky Dome, the Seoul Facilities Corporation found in June 2024 that 23 of 466 roof truss joints were bent beyond the 15 mm construction tolerance. Dong-A Ilbo gave the bend as 100 to 178 mm. A detailed safety diagnosis recommended reinforcing both sides of the joints, but the corporation reinforced one side after hearing only the contractor's opinion. A specialist body commissioned during the audit found the reinforced joints still lack bearing capacity. [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 12 , 13 ]
At Incheon Munhak Stadium, the city found in 2024 that 50 roof truss members were damaged but planned reinforcement for 2028, and rated them good in safety checks in 2025 and 2026. At Jeonju World Cup Stadium, a 2016 diagnosis identified missing rebar as the cause of cracking in column brackets, yet only 89 of 389 were reinforced. The audit sampled 25 of the other 300 and found missing rebar in 24, with 13 lacking bearing capacity. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 10 ]
At Seoul World Cup Stadium, the 2022 structural review did not include the load of a 120-tonne kiln, and a re-review found the beam beneath it lacked bearing capacity. At Jamsil Sports Complex, Newsis reported that Seoul applied a lower wind pressure than required and pursued remodelling without reinforcement, then ordered a detailed diagnosis including a wind tunnel test in June after the audit raised the problem. [ 2 , 3 , 10 ]
The audit also found gaps in evacuation planning. Twenty of the 25 facilities did not analyse evacuation time, and Gocheok set 50 minutes, which the audit judged short of an 8-minute international standard. Newsis and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that 33 concerts at seven indoor facilities in 2024-2025 sold at least 10 percent more tickets than the expected audience, up to 70 percent more, without the culture ministry checking. They also reported that five facilities, including Gocheok, had emergency generators short on capacity. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 10 ]
An audit official said closing the stadiums immediately was not under consideration but that repairs were needed quickly, citing year-end concerts. Kyunghyang Shinmun quoted the official as saying concerts may need to be halted if unexpected heavy snow arrives. The audit said the culture ministry and local governments were preparing measures and that the interim results would be finalised after an audit committee resolution. Maeil Business reported that Seoul said it would carry out reinforcement work if needed. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 10 ]
Why it matters
The five facilities host professional sports and concerts that draw tens of thousands of people, and the audit official pointed to year-end concerts as a reason to fix the problems quickly. The results are interim and are to be finalised after a vote by the audit committee, while the culture ministry and local governments are preparing measures.
Key facts
- The Board of Audit and Inspection released interim results on 21 October of an audit of safety management at large sports facilities; it covered 25 facilities with at least 100,000 spectators a year. [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 13 ]
- The audit named five facilities as at risk of partial collapse in heavy snow or strong wind: Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul World Cup Stadium, Jamsil Sports Complex, Incheon Munhak Stadium and Jeonju World Cup Stadium. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 10 , 13 ]
- At Gocheok Sky Dome, 23 of 466 roof truss joints were bent beyond the 15 mm construction tolerance; the Seoul Facilities Corporation reinforced only one side of the joints although both sides were recommended, and the audit found the joints still lack bearing capacity. [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 10 , 12 ]
- At Jeonju World Cup Stadium, only 89 of 389 column brackets were reinforced after the cause of cracking was identified as missing rebar; in the audit's sample of 25 of the other 300, 24 had missing rebar and 13 also lacked bearing capacity. [ 2 , 3 , 10 ]
- Twenty of the 25 facilities did not analyse evacuation time when installing evacuation facilities; Gocheok set it at 50 minutes against an 8-minute international standard cited by the audit. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- At seven indoor facilities, 33 concerts in 2024-2025 sold at least 10 percent more tickets than the expected audience in their disaster plans, up to 70 percent more. [ 2 , 10 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The audit identified Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul World Cup Stadium, Jamsil Sports Complex, Incheon Munhak Stadium and Jeonju World Cup Stadium as facilities with a risk of partial collapse in heavy snow or strong wind. [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 10 , 13 ]
- Seoul Facilities Corporation found 23 of 466 Gocheok roof truss joints bent beyond tolerance and reinforced only one side on the contractor's opinion; an audit review found the reinforced joints still lack bearing capacity. [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 10 , 12 ]
- Incheon identified damage to 50 roof truss members at Munhak Stadium in 2024 but scheduled reinforcement for 2028, and rated the members good in later checks. [ 1 , 2 , 10 , 13 ]
- Jeonju left 300 of 389 column brackets unreinforced after a 2016 diagnosis found missing rebar as the cause of cracking; 24 of 25 sampled brackets had missing rebar and 13 lacked bearing capacity. [ 2 , 3 , 10 ]
- Seoul World Cup Stadium's 2022 structural review did not include the load of a 120-tonne kiln; a re-review during the audit found insufficient bearing capacity in the beam beneath it. [ 3 , 10 , 13 ]
- The audit official said the stadiums are not being closed immediately but need prompt repair. [ 4 , 6 , 10 ]
- The interim results are to be finalised after a resolution by the audit committee. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Why Incheon set reinforcement of Munhak Stadium for 2028. Kyunghyang Shinmun says the city did so for construction convenience, while Dong-A Ilbo links 2028 to the year SSG moves its home ground; neither reason appears in other documents.
- How many concerts oversold tickets by more than 10 percent. Newsis and Kyunghyang Shinmun say 33 concerts at seven indoor facilities exceeded the expected audience by 10 percent or more, up to 70 percent; Kukmin Ilbo describes the 33 as 10 percent over.
- Whether the findings will change before they are finalised. The audit said the interim results will be finalised after an audit committee resolution; the documents do not say what measures the culture ministry and local governments will take.
- The estimated value of accident prevention from the audit, put at 800 billion won. Only Chosun Ilbo gives this figure, which it says was estimated by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology on the assumption that the problems are fixed.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Chosun Ilbo and Newsis publish reports on the audit's interim results announced on 21 October. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Seoul Shinmun reports the audit official saying immediate closure of the stadiums is not being considered. [ 4 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the audit official saying the stadiums need not be closed right now but are dangerous if snow and wind combine. [ 6 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the audit official saying performances may need to be halted if unexpected heavy snow arrives. [ 10 ]
- On 22 October, Dong-A Ilbo reports that the audit had planned to release final results in early next year but released interim results first. [ 13 ]