"Driver Covering the Cabin to Avoid Seeing Opposite Colleague Engineer While Driving"

Train Operator and Minority Union Leader
Minority Union Side "Excluded for Not Joining Strike"

On the afternoon of June 11, officials are managing the aftermath of a train collision accident at Sanggye Station on Seoul Subway Line 4 in Nowon-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seul-gi] The train collision that occurred in June was found to have happened because the driver covered the front window of the driver's cabin while operating the train. At the time, there were about 80 passengers on board, but fortunately, since both trains were running at low speed, there were no injuries.

According to SBS on the 17th, the Seoul city audit conducted immediately after the collision between trains operating at Sanggye Station on Seoul Subway Line 4 on the morning of June 11 revealed that the responsibility for the accident lies with the driver of the train that rear-ended the other.

At the time of the accident, the train showed an abnormality where it stopped before approaching Sanggye Station and then switched to automatic operation mode, but the driver did not notify the control center and continued to operate. This accident caused the carriage to be crushed and three cars of the rear-ended train to derail.

The driver was investigated to have covered the front window of the driver's cabin with a sunshade or similar, failing to properly check the front until just before the collision. It was reported that the driver stated he covered the window because he did not want to face other driver colleagues coming from the opposite lane.

Some interpret the accident as being due to conflicts between labor unions within Seoul Metro. Seoul Metro has two labor unions, and the driver involved in the accident is known to be a minority union official.

A representative of the minority union at Seoul Metro said, "They said we don't participate in the (majority union) strike. Our union members are only about 300 out of the total positions. That's only 10%. Those people are collectively ostracized. They are bullied."

At the time of the accident, train operations between Nowon and Danggogae sections were suspended for about five hours.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.