Anchor: The boiler tower that collapsed at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Thursday was scheduled to be demolished because it had reached the end of its service life. The facility is presumed to have crumbled during the removal of columns ahead of demolition.
Our Bae Joo-yon has the details.  

Report: The boiler tower in a thermal power plant managed by the Ulsan branch of the state-run Korea East-West Power Company was built in 1981.  

It was tasked with generating electricity using steam turbines powered by Bunker C oil.

The facility's operation was suspended in 2021 after its lifespan ended.

Thursday's incident occurred while workers were removing columns from the 25-meter tower ahead of its scheduled demolition on November 16.

The nine workers who took part in the effort were subcontractors of a demolition firm.

Shortly after the tower crumbled, the government established a central disaster management headquarters, and the police and labor ministry began investigating the cause of the incident.

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon vowed to get to the bottom of the incident through investigations, including raids.

Police plan to look into whether the Serious Accidents Punishment Act was violated at the site.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.