Lotte World Tower & Lotte World Mall is at the center of yet another safety controversy, this time, over water leakage at the Lotte World Aquarium.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Security ordered a comprehensive safety inspection of the aquarium after a five-hour government safety inspection Wednesday found two more leaks in addition to the original one in the main aquarium tunnel.
The inspectors said that while the leak was thought to stem from faulty application of sealant between the acrylic screen and the concrete wall and that there was no structural fault in the aquarium screen, the presence of two other leak points necessitated a comprehensive check to determine the exact cause of the problem.
Lotte maintains that such leaks are not unusual, but leaks at the Lotte World Aquarium poses a serious safety threat, as the aquarium occupies two floor levels above a high-voltage substation: The aquarium, holding 5.2 million liters of water, sits atop a 154,000 volt substation.
A leakage at the aquarium would not cause great damage to the substation, as measures are in place to prevent water from flowing into the substation and the cables are well waterproofed, the inspection team said. Yet, for a lay person, it is hard to believe that the aquarium plan was approved at the end of 2008 after the government had installed the high-voltage substation in April of that year. The possibility, however remote, of a large body of water coming into contact with high-voltage electricity raises alarm.
The inspection team also found that there were no maps showing emergency escape routes. The risk management manual and disaster alleviation plans for the Lotte World Tower and Lotte World Mall were inadequate, the team pointed out.
In ordering a comprehensive safety inspection of the Lotte World Aquarium, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security did not order the aquarium to be closed. However, Lotte should consider voluntarily closing down the facility until the results of the inspections become available. Given the public’s concerns about the safety of Lotte World Tower & Lotte World Mall, it may be prudent for the company to close the aquarium until everything is deemed safe. With the news of the leaks making headlines, the aquarium cannot expect to attract visitors; if a more serious accident does take place while it stays in operation, the company will have to pay dearly.
Lotte said it would engage a third-party team of inspectors to conduct the checks. The conglomerate should get an impartial panel of experts to conduct the checks and fully disclose the inspection results. Being completely transparent is the only way that Lotte can gain public trust.
