'Almost Caused a Major Accident'... Teen Placed Rock on KTX Track Saying "I Want to Go to Juvenile Detention"

Controller removes brick-sized stone after checking CCTV
At 300 km/h zone... SRT passes 1 minute after removal

A teenager who trespassed at Singyeongju Station on the Gyeongbu High-Speed Railway (KTX) placed a rock on the tracks, nearly causing a major accident, but quick action by the control operator prevented it.

According to a report by Yonhap News on the 10th, the incident occurred around 9 p.m. on the 8th at Singyeongju Station on the Gyeongbu High-Speed Line (KTX). The teenager, identified as A, who had trespassed inside the station platform, placed a rock measuring 30 cm by 30 cm on the Seoul-bound track. The local control operator, monitoring the station via closed-circuit television (CCTV), immediately noticed this and reported it to the control center. Along with other staff, they proceeded to the tracks to remove the rock.

Gyeongbu High-Speed Railway Singyeongju Station
Photo by Yonhap News

This section is where non-stop high-speed trains operate at speeds up to 300 km/h, so if the rock had not been removed, it could have led to a major accident such as a train derailment. In fact, less than a minute after the staff removed the rock, an SRT train carrying 116 passengers passed through the area.

The control operator told Yonhap News, "Even after two trains stopped and departed, A continued to wander on the platform," adding, "I was watching via CCTV when A suddenly jumped onto the tracks." He continued, "We found A after dispatching with the Railway Special Judicial Police, and after questioning, we learned that he had placed the rock on the tracks."

It was confirmed through tracking A’s movements that the rock used in the crime was brought in from outside the station. When asked why he did it, A reportedly said, "I wanted to derail a train and go to a juvenile detention center." The railway police are investigating the exact circumstances of the crime with A.