The Seongsu Bridge disaster occurred on October 21, 1994, when a section of the upper truss of the Seongsu Bridge collapsed onto the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. A combination of faulty welding, rusted extension hinges, and insufficient maintenance resulted in the structural failure of the bridge, killing 32 people, and injuring 17 others. Seventeen Seoul Metropolitan Government, Dongbu Corporation, and Dong Ah Construction officials would eventually be convicted of criminal negligence charges for the collapse. The collapse was part of a string of disasters during the modernization of South Korea, including the fire of a sightseeing boat, the sinking of MV Seohae, Asiana Airlines Flight 733, the Gupo Station train derailment, the 1995 Daegu gas explosions, and the Sampoong Department Store collapse. Background The Seongsu Bridge linked the Seongdong and Gangnam districts of Seoul and was said to be one of the city's busiest bridges, carrying more than 100,000 vehicles per day. Following the development of the Gangnam region, the number of vehicles using the bridge increased exponentially to 160,000 vehicles per day. The bridge connects to the Seoul Olympic Highway to the South. During the fifteen years from its construction to its collapse, the Seongsu Bridge had never been inspected because it was less than 20 years old and inspections at the time focused solely on aging structures. Design and construction Construction for the Seongsu Bridge began on April 9, 1977, and was completed on October 15, 1979, by the () at a cost of 11.58 billion won. At the time, foreign firms were excluded from construction contracts, and Korean construction companies were stretched thin by increased demand. Upon completion, the Seongsu Bridge became the 11th bridge constructed over the Han River, and were part of a series of public works projects by then military dictator Park Chung-Hee. The cantilever bridge had 4 lanes of traffic, a width of , and spanned . The speed limit on the bridge was . The bridge was praised for its focus on its aesthetics in addition to functional considerations, setting it apart from other bridges built at the time. The construction of the bridge alleviated traffic on the Yeongdong and Hannam bridges. Two years earlier, the Second Haengju Bridge collapsed during construction with no casualties. Later that year, the () in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province, would collapse under similar circumstances as the Seongsu Bridge. At the time, bids for construction