Minister Sang-min Lee Inspects Escalator 'Reverse Operation' at Gyeongbokgung Station, Chungbuk Safety Experience Center
Plans to Install Reverse Operation Prevention Devices by Year-End
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is promoting the participation of 700,000 citizens in the 'National Safety Experience,' where people can receive safety education through direct experience. Additionally, it plans to support the installation of reverse operation prevention devices on subway escalators nationwide by the end of this year.
On the 15th, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min inspected the Chungbuk Safety Experience Center and the site of the Seoul Subway Line 3 Gyeongbokgung Station, where more than 10 fall accidents occurred last year due to escalator reverse operation.
That morning, Minister Lee listened to the current status of safety experience education operations at the Chungbuk Safety Experience Center and directly participated in major experience education programs such as traffic, earthquake, and fire safety. He also inspected the Disaster Experience Center scheduled to open in March.
At the site, Minister Lee urged local governments and facility officials to operate programs with a high degree of realism similar to actual disasters, as safety experience centers are facilities where children, in particular, can effectively learn safety through enjoyable experiences. He also requested thorough management to prevent safety accidents during education.
The National Safety Experience Centers began with the opening of the Ulsan Safety Experience Center in 2018 and currently operate seven centers, with one more under construction. Last year, a total of approximately 640,000 people participated in education at the seven centers. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to expand the number of participants in experience education to 700,000 this year. In particular, to help children develop the ability to respond to various safety accidents from an early age, the ministry plans to strengthen children's safety experience education by operating new experience programs tailored to children's perspectives and granting priority reservation rights to children.
Minister Lee also conducted a safety inspection at Gyeongbokgung Station, where the escalator reverse operation accident occurred. He received reports from officials of Seoul Metro and others on the status of elevator installations within Gyeongbokgung Station and measures to enhance safety, and observed the inspection of major escalator safety devices.
At this occasion, Minister Lee especially urged the on-site management agencies to actively work to prevent elevator accidents, including escalators, in subway stations where many people gather.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to invest 7.5 billion won by the end of the year to ensure that reverse operation prevention devices are installed on all subway escalators nationwide. Currently, there are 1,061 subway escalators operating without reverse operation prevention devices nationwide, including 547 units operated by Seoul Metro.
Minister Lee stated, "The government will replace parts that caused escalator accidents nationwide in advance and strengthen special inspections to ensure that citizens can use escalators safely." He added, "Furthermore, we will utilize safety experience centers to discover and spread various education and experience programs so that people, especially from childhood, can develop safety awareness and preparedness for emergencies."
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