Vice Minister Kang Heeup of MOLIT at Mugunghwa Accident Site: "There Are Problems with KORAIL's Safety Management"

Kang Heeup, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is talking with Korail officials at the accident site near Namseonghyeon Station in Cheongdo County, Gyeongbuk, on the 19th. Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

On August 19, Kang Heeup, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, visited the on-site accident response headquarters near Namseonghyeon Station on the Gyeongbu Line in Cheongdo County, Gyeongbuk. There, he received a report on the circumstances of the collision between a Mugunghwa train and track workers and began working on measures to prevent a recurrence.

Vice Minister Kang pointed out, "There are problems with KORAIL's safety management," in response to another fatal accident during railway maintenance following last year’s incident.

Earlier that day, at around 10:50 a.m., seven workers inspecting the tracks between Namseonghyeon and Cheongdo in Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk, were struck by a Mugunghwa train. Two were transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest but died, while the remaining five suffered serious or minor injuries. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport immediately set up an on-site accident response headquarters near Namseonghyeon Station and launched an investigation into the accident.

Kang Heeup, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is receiving a report on the accident circumstances from a Korail official at the accident response headquarters near Namseonghyeon Station in Cheongdo County, Gyeongbuk, on the 19th. Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

At the scene, Vice Minister Kang said, "I cannot hide my deep sorrow that another worker safety accident occurred during railway facility maintenance today, following last year’s incident. Despite the many safety measures and institutional systems that have been established to ensure worker safety, major accidents continue to occur."

He added, "If safety measures do not work in the field, they are meaningless. We will conduct a rigorous and thorough inspection to determine whether KORAIL's safety management system is functioning properly, and we will establish fundamental safety management measures."