A department store collapse in Seoul last year led to an unprecedented check of 300 Korean buildings by a foreign firm. Peter Dawson of Taywood Engineering reports that construction quality is much higher in Korea than recent events might suggest. One of the most tragic international events affecting the construction industry was the loss of 500 lives following the collapse of a department store in the Korean capital Seoul last year (Fig. 1). Though unconnected with this incident, one of Korea's largest construction companies, Samsung Engineering and Construction, immediately engaged Taywood Engineering limited (TEL) to conduct structural surveys on properties built by it and other subsidiaries of the Samsung Group over the past 14 years.
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