Protest Against Fire Authorities for Providing CCTV Footage to Media
Civilians Criticize "Reflection and Countermeasures Are Neglected"
Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) is facing public criticism after announcing an investigation into how the CCTV footage capturing the escalator reverse-running accident at Suin-Bundang Line’s Sunae Station on the 8th was leaked externally, and stating that legal responsibility will be pursued if necessary.
The accident occurred around 8:20 a.m. on the 8th, during the morning rush hour, when the upward escalator installed at Exit 2 of Sunae Station on the Suin-Bundang Line in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province suddenly stopped while ascending from basement level 1 to ground level 1, then ran backward for several seconds. As passengers on the escalator were pushed and fell, 14 people sustained serious injuries.
Escalator Running Backwards at Bundang Sunae Station, Citizens Rush to Rescue [Image Source=Yonhap News]
The CCTV footage of the accident scene was reported by the media that afternoon. The broadcast using this CCTV footage included a caption stating “Provided by Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters.”
The sight of people suddenly losing balance on the escalator and falling one after another, piling up in layers in an instant, was dizzying and shocking, becoming a major topic of discussion.
It is known that paramedics from the Fire and Disaster Headquarters who responded to the scene secured the CCTV footage from the station office during their investigation of the accident. On the day of the accident, KORAIL reportedly made several protest calls to the fire authorities who provided the CCTV footage to the media.
KORAIL claimed that a Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters official who was at the scene re-recorded the CCTV footage without permission and provided it to the media without KORAIL’s consent.
The day after the accident, KORAIL launched an investigation into the leak of the CCTV footage, stating that it appears to be a violation of the Railroad Safety Act and the Personal Information Protection Act.
Immediately after the accident, KORAIL issued an official apology, saying, “We deeply apologize to the public,” but when it became known that behind the scenes they were investigating the leak and identifying the leaker, public anger erupted.
Citizens criticized, saying, “They are wasting energy on useless matters instead of establishing accident countermeasures,” “There is no reflection or sense of responsibility, only a desperate attempt to cover up, which makes us even angrier,” “The accident is KORAIL’s responsibility, but they are taking it out on innocent people,” and “Because we saw the footage, we understood how dangerous the moment was.”
In the legal community, the prevailing interpretation regarding the video leak is that it will be difficult to hold the fire authorities legally responsible. This is because it concerns the public’s right to know, and the released footage is blurry, making it unlikely that the personal information of the accident victims was exposed.
KORAIL stated regarding the controversy, “Investigating the cause of the accident is the top priority, and we are currently focusing on preparing measures to prevent recurrence,” adding, “We will investigate the circumstances of the video leak at a later time.”
They further said, “At this stage, we have not considered legal action,” and “We once again deeply apologize to the public regarding this accident.”
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