Last year, 24 out of 25 railway agencies evaluated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport received ratings of 'Excellent' or higher. However, the same year saw the highest number of safety inspection corrective actions and near-accidents in the past five years. There were also instances of agencies violating maintenance regulations again after receiving corrective orders or failing to report near-accidents.
On October 12, Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party analyzed data submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to the National Assembly. The total number of railway accidents, near-accidents, and service disruptions last year reached 215, a 12.6% increase from 191 incidents the previous year. While railway accidents decreased from 46 to 42, near-accidents rose from 22 to 29, and service disruptions increased from 123 to 144, marking the highest figures in the last five years.
Corrective actions resulting from regular and special safety inspections by the Ministry totaled 495 last year, the highest in five years. In contrast, the safety management level assessment rated three agencies with an A grade, 21 with a B grade, and one with a C grade, meaning 96% of the evaluated agencies received 'Excellent' or higher. No agency received a D grade ('Insufficient') or E grade ('Poor') in the past five years.
The Ministry conducts comprehensive evaluations of accident indicators, safety investments, and management levels for railway operators and facility managers. While the increase in accidents and disruptions does not necessarily indicate an evaluation error, there are concerns about whether the current assessment system adequately reflects repeat violations and actual accident risks.
Instances of repeat violations have also been identified. Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) received a corrective order for improperly operating vehicles that were due for wheel maintenance without adhering to the maintenance cycle. The same issue was detected during the next regular inspection.
High-speed trains that exceeded the maintenance cycle were operated 479 times. Vehicles that required wheel grinding but were past the grace period were operated 261 times. The Ministry imposed fines of 240 million won for each violation, totaling 480 million won.
There were also cases where near-accidents were not reported in a timely manner. In February last year, an electric train carrying about 80 passengers on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line passed a stop station and reversed approximately 460 meters without controller approval. KORAIL classified this incident as a 'management failure' rather than a near-accident and did not report it to the Ministry, which was only confirmed during a regular inspection nearly a year later.
Railway-related fatalities also continued. In August last year, seven workers near the tracks on the Gyeongbu Line were struck by a train, resulting in two deaths and five injuries. In August of this year, a KORAIL employee was killed by a train while working on freight vehicle movements at Uiwang Station.
Rep. Hwang's office requested the Ministry to provide data analyzing the effectiveness of regular and special inspections, as well as safety management assessments, in preventing actual accidents. However, they reported not receiving specific analytical data. The Ministry stated that improvements to vulnerable factors and ongoing safety management are necessary and plans to establish measures to enhance railway safety within the year.
Rep. Hwang remarked, 'If the same violations are repeated despite corrective orders, and most agencies receive excellent ratings, it is necessary to reassess whether the current evaluation system adequately ensures public safety. There should be stricter penalties and enhanced post-management and supervision for repeat violations.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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