By Kang Hyun-kyung





A fire broke out at Lotte World Tower under construction in Jamsil, southern Seoul, Sunday.

The blaze was extinguished 25 minutes after it erupted on the 47th floor at midnight. / Yonhap

A fire at Lotte World Tower, Sunday, reignited safety concerns about the skyscraper under construction in southern Seoul.

According to Lotte Engineering and Construction, the fire broke out in the steel container of a welding machine on the 47th floor at midnight and was extinguished within 25 minutes thanks to the swift reaction of firefighters.

In a press release on Sunday, Lotte said there were no casualties.

It plans to complete the 555-meter, 123-story building by 2016. Nearly 30 percent of the construction has been finished so far.

Concerns about safety surrounding the nation's tallest building under construction showed no signs of abating.

The fire comes after a helicopter crashed into a high-rise apartment in Samsung-dong, near the construction site last year, which generated questions on the safety of skyscrapers.

In June, a construction worker was killed and five others injured in an accident near the construction site. Four months later, an iron pipe fell 50 meters from the building, leaving some passers-by hospitalized as a result.

Some observers have raised possibility of aircraft heading to Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, about 6 kilometers away from the building, crashing into the tower.

In 2009, the then Lee Myung-bak administration approved construction of the skyscraper despite opposition from the Air Force.

Lotte slightly modified its blueprint to prevent possible crashes, but has yet to respond to demands for it to lower the height of the building.