[Reporter’s Notebook] Another Death at KORAIL... The Minister’s Blunt Words Must Lead to Real Change

Minister Kim’s Unusually Blunt Warning:
“Thorough Preparation” Urged After Cheongdo KORAIL Accident
Responsibility Lies With Management, Not the President
Fundamental Reform Needed in Dispersed Railway Safety System
Extraordinary Measures Required to Prevent Further Tragedies

On August 21, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoonduk met separately with reporters immediately after the plenary session of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee and commented on the Cheongdo KORAIL train accident, stating, “We have to be thoroughly prepared.” The term he used refers to being fully prepared or taking strict measures to prevent wrongdoing. It is extremely rare for a minister to use such blunt and raw language in front of reporters.

This underscores just how absurd and outrageous the accident was. It also reflects a strong determination not to let such incidents go unchecked any longer. At the time of the accident, there was a “warning application” to alert of approaching trains, but it was useless. No forward or rear train watchers were deployed. There were even testimonies that there was no evacuation space at the site. The basic safety manual failed entirely. As a result of this accident, two people died, four were seriously injured, and one sustained minor injuries.

However, during the meeting that day, the opposition party directly targeted President Lee Jaemyung. They argued, “KORAIL is an institution 100% owned by the government, so what is the President doing?” Their logic was that while the government is harsh on private sector accidents, it remains silent in the face of public enterprise disasters. This argument is misguided both legally and in reality. Under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, responsibility is assigned to the employer or the management officer. Here, the management officer is not simply the person with personnel authority, but someone who is responsible for safety and health and has the authority to control the site. At KORAIL, that person is the CEO. This is also why CEO Han Moonhee submitted his resignation. The same applies to private construction sites: responsibility is sought from the head of the construction company, not from the holding company or group owner.

The essence of the problem should have been sought in the railway safety system. The current structure, where responsibility for safety is dispersed, should have been pointed out. The current railway operation system was divided in 2003 when the former National Railroad Administration was split into KORAIL and the National Railway Authority, based on the principle of “vertical separation.” KORAIL operates the trains, while the National Railway Authority is responsible for railway construction and facility management as part of national infrastructure. In the process, track maintenance work was transferred to KORAIL, on the grounds that it is the organization most familiar with the field. As a result, KORAIL now manages over 4,500 km of tracks and also operates passenger and freight services.

However, this structure inevitably leads to conflicts of interest. The operations department wants to increase train frequency, while the facility management department must demand operational restrictions for safety. In reality, the operations department, which is directly tied to revenue, takes precedence. The track management department is always pushed back, and investment and innovation are inevitably neglected. In late 2022, there was an attempt to revise this in the National Assembly, but it ultimately failed. In 2023, a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport pointed out that dispersed management responsibility creates safety blind spots.

Repeated disasters cannot be explained by individual managerial mistakes or on-site negligence. Unless the safety system is fundamentally reformed, measures to prevent recurrence will once again be nothing more than empty words. The minister’s call for “thorough preparation” is in the same context. The strength of his words must be matched by substantial changes to the railway safety system. Only by implementing extraordinary measures can we put an end to these repeated fatalities.