Sampoong Department Store collapse

[[File:19950629삼풍백화점 붕괴 사고114.jpg|thumb|Firefighter rescuing victim following the collapse|left]]

[[File:19950629삼풍백화점 붕괴 사고114.jpg|thumb|Firefighter rescuing victim following the collapse|left]]

An emergency [[board of directors]] meeting was held when it became clear that the building's collapse was inevitable. The directors suggested that all staff and customers should be evacuated, but Lee Joon violently refused to do so for fear of revenue losses. However, Lee Joon and the executives left the building safely before the collapse occurred. [The reasons for society's downfall -Random Person- (i don't think i'm allowed to do this)] {{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/27/seoul-sampoong-department-store-disaster-history-cities-50-buildings|title=Learning from Seoul's Sampoong Department Store disaster – a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 44|website=www.theguardian.com|date=May 27, 2015 |access-date=2021-02-01}}

An emergency [[board of directors]] meeting was held when it became clear that the building's collapse was inevitable. The directors suggested that all staff and customers should be evacuated, but Lee Joon violently refused to do so for fear of revenue losses. However, Lee Joon and the executives left the building safely before the collapse occurred.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/27/seoul-sampoong-department-store-disaster-history-cities-50-buildings|title=Learning from Seoul's Sampoong Department Store disaster – a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 44|website=www.theguardian.com|date=May 27, 2015 |access-date=2021-02-01}}

At about 5:00 p.m., [[Time in South Korea|KST]] (UTC+9:00), as the fifth floor ceiling began to sink, store workers finally closed off all customer access to the fifth floor. Fifty-seven minutes before the collapse, the store was packed with hundreds of shoppers, but still, Lee Joon did not close the store or attempt any repairs. At about 5:52 p.m., cracking sounds could be heard and workers began to sound alarms and evacuate the building, but it was too late. The roof gave way and the air conditioning units crashed onto the overloaded fifth floor which then gave way. In less than twenty seconds, the building's main columns (which had been weakened by the installation of the escalators) failed, followed by all the columns in the south wing. The store's south wing, excepting the very southernmost part, then collapsed completely into the basement trapping more than 1,500 people inside. 502 people died and 937 were injured. The disaster resulted in property damage totaling about ₩270 billion (about US$206 million).{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

At about 5:00 p.m., [[Time in South Korea|KST]] (UTC+9:00), as the fifth floor ceiling began to sink, store workers finally closed off all customer access to the fifth floor. Fifty-seven minutes before the collapse, the store was packed with hundreds of shoppers, but still, Lee Joon did not close the store or attempt any repairs. At about 5:52 p.m., cracking sounds could be heard and workers began to sound alarms and evacuate the building, but it was too late. The roof gave way and the air conditioning units crashed onto the overloaded fifth floor which then gave way. In less than twenty seconds, the building's main columns (which had been weakened by the installation of the escalators) failed, followed by all the columns in the south wing. The store's south wing, excepting the very southernmost part, then collapsed completely into the basement trapping more than 1,500 people inside. 502 people died and 937 were injured. The disaster resulted in property damage totaling about ₩270 billion (about US$206 million).{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}