Seoul Metro's 1.2 Billion Won High-Pressure Water Truck Halted for 1 Year Due to 7 Million Won Dispute

Tunnel Fine Dust Removal Water Sprinkler Truck, Long-Term Breakdown Spraying Dust Suppressant Contrary to Intended Use... Councilman Jeong Jin-cheol Emphasizes, "The expensive special vehicle equipment introduced at a cost of 1.2 billion KRW has been unusable for a year due to a 7 million KRW repair fee dispute; considering its important purpose, it should have been repaired at own expense first and then sought compensation."

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Seoul Metro Corporation's use of high-pressure water trucks to remove fine dust inside tunnels has come under scrutiny during the Seoul Metropolitan Council's administrative audit after it was revealed that the trucks were mixed with dust suppressant agents, contrary to their intended use, causing long-term malfunctions.

During the 298th regular session administrative audit of the Seoul Metro Corporation, Councilor Jin-cheol Jeong (Democratic Party, Songpa 6) stated, “A high-priced special vehicle equipment worth 1.2 billion KRW has been out of use for a year due to a repair cost dispute of only 7 million KRW. Considering its important role in removing fine dust inside tunnels, the repair should have been prioritized at the corporation’s own expense, and then compensation claims should have been pursued.” He criticized Kim Sang-beom, President of Seoul Metro Corporation, saying, “Neglecting this is an irresponsible management behavior that forgets public interest.”

Councilor Jeong continued, “The high-pressure water trucks should only use water, but they broke down after spraying a mixture of water and dust suppressant agents based solely on the unverified claims of a vendor,” and pointed out, “When the malfunction occurred, the use of dust suppressant agents was allowed without sufficient review, relying only on the vendor’s promise of compensation, which eventually led to disputes.”

He also urged, “The rail grinding vehicle imported from Switzerland for 7 billion KRW has also been out of repair since August. Fundamental measures must be established promptly to enable its operation.”

In response, President Kim of Seoul Metro Corporation stated that they would promptly prepare and implement improvement plans regarding the pointed-out issues.

The special vehicles operated by Seoul Metro Corporation for urban railway maintenance, such as rail grinding vehicles, high-pressure water trucks, and dust suction vehicles, face issues where repairs take several months and incur high costs due to difficulties in procuring genuine parts and problems related to foreign-made equipment, despite their high initial costs.

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