He built Sampoong on the site of a former rubbish dump. The store was designed to have only five floors. Halfway through construction Joon decided to add an extra floor with a swimming pool. When several engineers warned Joon that it was a dangerous idea, Joon not only ignored them, but also fired them.
Four thousand customers passed through the doors daily. On 27 June, a gas leak was reported, but nothing was done about it. Two days later, the fifth-floor ceiling showed signs of imminent collapse so expensive merchandise was moved out of the way.
At about 6 p.m., While hundreds of people were in the food area, the entire structure collapsed on top of them. The fifth-floor ceiling collapsed and all the floors underneath it, followed. Fires broke out that took several days to put out.
Rescue efforts lasted weeks. One survivor was rescued 16 days after the collapse, but most people were not so lucky. More than 500 people died and 900 suffered severe injuries.
