‘Bridge of National Defense’ Collapses

Last Saturday — ironically, the 61st anniversary of the start of the Korean War — a section of the Old Waegwan Railroad Bridge, nicknamed the “Bridge of National Defense” for its pivotal role in the Korean War, collapsed into the Nakdonggang River. Since it collapsed in the middle of the night, nobody was hurt, thank God, but it’s a sad — and infuriating — loss nonetheless, especially as it appears the cause of the collapse was man-made:

“It appears that this occurred because of heavy rainfall, which led to higher water levels and a higher rate of flow,” the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) said on June 25 regarding the cause of the accident. But barely 13.5mm (0.5 inches) of rain fell in the Chilgok area on June 24, the day before the collapse, while rainfall in Sangju and Andong, upstream from the bridge, were no higher than normal monsoon levels at 128.5mm and 147mm respectively. The bridge, moreover, was deemed “satisfactory” by a safety examination conducted immediately prior to the start of the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project. A bridge that stood for 100 years during which rainfall levels reached 100mm two or three times every year, has collapsed.

At the time of the collapse, dredging as part of construction for the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project was in full swing. The swollen water was forming eddies above the riverbed, into which dredgers had dug deep. The rapid currents hit the piers supporting the bridge hard. It appears that the pier had been weakened. This is because dredging for Four Major Rivers Restoration Project had taken place around the pier, just like everywhere else. If the riverbed is excavated to a significant depth around a pier, the base of the pier is exposed and begins to be eroded by the flowing water.

I’m sure we’ll learn more about what happened in the days and weeks ahead.

Now, this is not the first time parts of the bridge have dropped in the drink, and the old bridge — a symbol of Waegwan —- will no doubt be repaired. It is highly frustrating, however, that a bridge that withstood 106 years of floods and typhoons should collapse because the government is hellbent on vandalizing the nation’s rivers, a conclusion to which I, like the Hankyoreh, am all too happy to jump*. It also troubles me that a number of other historic bridges connected with the Korean War — see below —- may be in similar danger as they, too, sit on sections of river being dredged or otherwise worked on.

*Keep in mind, I’m no anti-LMB partisan. In fact, I actually like the guy, but the manner and speed in which the Four Rivers has been pushed borders on the irresponsible, given the immense scale of the undertaking.

NOTE: Photos taken in 2009.

The old Nakdong Railway Bridge was built in 1905 by the Japanese as part of the Seoul—-Busan railroad, which the Japanese were keen to open for both economic and military reasons. It’s a lovely bridge, the arched pillars of which betray that particular attention to aesthetics characteristic of the age. In 1941, a new railway bridge was built a bit further of the river, and the old railway bridge became a highway bridge (at the same time, a nearby train tunnel — which is still there — was rendered obsolete).

The bridge is most famous for the role it played in the Korean War. Following the near-destruction of the US 24th Infantry Division in the Battle of Daejeon, UN forces withdrew to defensive positions along the Nakdonggang River. The bridges and valleys of Waegwan, the gateway to Daegu, took on a particular strategic significance. In the evening of August 3, the final elements of the US 1st Cavalry Division retreated over the bridge to take up positions on the hills overlooking the river. To prevent the North Koreans from crossing over the river, 1st Cav’s commander, Major Gen. Hobart R. Gay, ordered the highway and railway bridges blown. This was no easy decision, as on the other side of the river were countless Korean refugees fleeing both the war and the North Koreans. Roy E. Appleman described the situation thusly:

The main line railroad bridges and the highway bridge across the Naktong at Waegwan were to be blown as soon as all units of the 1st Cavalry Division had crossed. These bridges were the most important on the river. General Gay, in arranging for their destruction, gave orders that no one but himself could order the bridges blown. At dusk on 3 August, thousands of refugees crowded up to the bridges on the west side of the river, and repeatedly, as the rear guard of the 8th Cavalry would start across the bridge, the mass of refugees would follow. The division commander ordered the rear guard to return to the west side and hold back the refugees. When all was ready the troops were to run across to the east side so that the bridge could be blown. This plan was tried several times, but in each instance the refugees were on the heels of the rear guard. Finally, when it was nearly dark, General Gay, feeling that he had no alternative, gave the order to blow the bridge. It was a hard decision to make, for hundreds of refugees were lost when the bridge was demolished.

T.R. Fehrenbach described it even more heartbreakingly in “This Kind of War”:

Thousands upon thousands of Korean civilian refugees were pressing upon these men, clamoring to be let across the bridge. Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans, frightened of the Inmun Gun (North Korean Army), were fleeing south ahead of, with, and behind the fighting forces, complicating their job enormously.

As the rear guard came across the bridge to the east side, throngs of Koreans followed them, filling the bridge with jostling bodies. General Hobart Gay, who had ordered the bridge to be sent up only as his express command, instructed them to go back to the far side, and clear the bridge.

This they did, as dusk approached. Then, with the refugees pushed back onto the west shore, the rear guard turned and pelted across to the friendly bank – but the second they turned, the Koreans dashed madly for the bridge and soon filled it, even before the cavalrymen were across.

Three times, at Gay’s order, they repeated the maneuver, without success. Short of shooting them there was no way to keep the Koreans from using the bridge. Even telling them it would be blown did no good.

Now it was growing dark, and the Inmun Gun was closing. As the rear guard recrossed to the east side for the third time, with the mass of Koreans close behind them, Hobart Gay, his face pale, said, “Blow it.” He had no other choice.
Several hundred Koreans went into the river with the bridge.

Choe Sang-hun and Charles Hanley also managed to turn it into an article in 1999. Some editorial writer in the Kyunghyang Shinmun’s opinion section also noted the story today, drawing a comparison between the blowing of the bridge in the Korean War and today’s collapse I find stunning, and not necessarily in a good way.

The Battle of Waegwan and Hill 303

The demolition of the bridges marked the start of the Battle of Waegwan, one of the most important battles in defense of the Nakdong Perimeter. The brutal engagement, waged largely between the North Korean 3rd Division and the US 1st Cavalry Division, ended with a UN victory as repeated North Korean forays across the river were repulsed. The North Korean 3rd Division — the first North Korean unit to enter Seoul — suffered such crippling losses it was knocked out of the Nakdong campaign.

The battle was also the scene of one of the most notorious massacres of the early party of the war, the so-called Massacre of Hill 303. Some 41 American POWs, held captive by North Korean troops who had seized Hill 303, were executed by their captors as they retreated. One of the Americans who discovered the bodies described the scene thusly:

The boys lay packed tightly, shoulder to shoulder, lying on their sides, curled like babies sleeping in the sun. Their feet, bloodied and bare, from walking on the rocks, stuck out stiffly … All had hands tied behind their backs, some with cord, others with regular issue army communication wire. Only a few of the hands were clenched.

The monument you see above was erected atop Hill 303 by US servicemen from nearby Camp Carroll in 2003; it has since been replaced by a larger monument.

The Bridges of the Korean War: At Risk?

The bridges over the Hangang River, whose premature demolition just prior to the fall of Seoul proved a military disaster for South Korea.

Gongju’s Geumgang River Bridge, built in 1933 and blown by US troops during the defense of the Geumgang Line, a.k.a. the Disaster at the Kum River Line.

Namji Bridge, a.k.a. “Vickery’s Bridge,” completed in 1933 and defended by the US 35th Infantry Regiment (“The Rock of the Nam”) during the Battle of Nakdong Bulge.

In warfare, bridges are valuable strategic assets, so it should come as no surprise that bridges account for a number of Korea’s Korean War battle sites. In addition to their historic value, the bridges themselves are often quite beautiful, stretching over scenic spots on Korea’s major rivers.

Following the collapse of the Waegwan Railway Bridge, my concern is the safety of some other historic Korean War-related bridges. I can only assume due care has been taken in regards to the Hangang River bridges due to their extensive use by Seoulites. The Geumgang and Namji bridges, on the other hand, have a good deal of historical wear and tear on them, and like the Waegwan Bridge, extensive Four River-connected construction work was ongoing when I last visited them. Given what happened in Waegwan and the pace at which the government is pushing the Four Rivers — producing problems like this and this — you’ll forgive me if I’m not entirely confident the proper safety measures were taken. I can only hope that in the wake of the Waegwan Bridge collapse, the authorities are taking measures to ensure the safety of other bridges on the Four Rivers. It would also be nice if the Cultural Heritage Administration — whose job it is to protect the nation’s historical sites, like the bridges you see above, all of which are registered cultural properties — would speak up, even if this causes friction with other ministries.