Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, "Stern Warning to Relevant Agencies"... Orders Swift Recovery Work
On the 1st at 5:30 PM, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is presiding over an emergency countermeasure meeting involving the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korail, and SR regarding the Gyeongbu Line SRT derailment accident at Seoul Station.
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, held an emergency countermeasure meeting regarding the Gyeongbu Line SRT derailment accident and instructed that recovery work be carried out swiftly to minimize inconvenience to the public.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that at 5:30 p.m. on the 1st, an emergency countermeasure meeting was held at Seoul Station involving the Ministry, Korail, SR, and others concerning the Gyeongbu Line SRT derailment accident.
According to SR and the Daejeon Fire Headquarters, at around 3:25 p.m. on the same day, the rear electric locomotive and one passenger car of SRT train No. 338 derailed near Daejeon Jochajang Station. This train had departed from Busan at 1:45 p.m. carrying about 380 passengers and was heading to Suseo Station. The accident resulted in 11 injuries; 4 were immediately sent home, and the remaining 7 were transported to hospitals.
Minister Won Hee-ryong received a report on the accident status and countermeasures from officials of Korail and SR.
Minister Won said, "As the minister overseeing transportation including railways, I sincerely apologize to the passengers affected by this accident and to the public experiencing inconvenience," and instructed that recovery work be expedited to minimize public inconvenience.
He added, "If SR, which operated the accident vehicle, and Korail employees responsible for vehicle maintenance and repair had approached their duties with the mindset that their own family members were using the train and maintained vigilance, such an accident would not have occurred," and warned sternly to the relevant organizations responsible for causing a railway accident that threatens public safety, regardless of the severity of the accident.
He continued, "Based on an accurate accident investigation, we will not only establish a thorough safety management system but also make every effort for public institutions such as Korail and SR to innovate themselves to prevent even minor accidents from recurring."
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