Seoul Metro Appoints Ahn Sang-deok as New Head of Vehicle Division

‘Train Vehicle Expert’ with Nearly 40 Years Dedicated to Vehicles Since Joining Seoul Metro in 1984... Appointment on the 21st? 3-Year Term... Expected to Serve as the Right Person Responsible for Seoul Subway Electric Cars

Ahn Sang-deok, Head of Vehicle Headquarters

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seoul Metro (President Kim Sang-beom) appointed Ahn Sang-deok, the current head of Jichuk Vehicle Office, as the new Executive Director and Head of the Vehicle Headquarters on the 21st.

The Head of the Vehicle Headquarters is an executive position responsible for overseeing and coordinating all tasks related to the subway trains owned by the corporation.

The term of the new Head of the Vehicle Headquarters is three years. (December 21, 2020 ? December 20, 2023)

The new Head, Ahn Sang-deok, joined Seoul Subway Corporation in January 1984 (the predecessor of Seoul Metro, which later changed its name and operated lines 1 to 4). He started with on-site tasks such as vehicle inspection and has worked in various vehicle-related departments, making him a ‘vehicle expert’ of the Seoul subway.

In particular, after being appointed Director of the Vehicle Maintenance Department in 2016, he recognized the necessity of 4th Industrial Revolution technologies such as big data and the Internet of Things (IoT). He actively promoted the introduction of the ‘Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) system’ to detect signs of train malfunctions and respond proactively, achieving notable results.

This system is currently installed at the Line 2 vehicle depot, and phased expansion to Lines 1 through 8 is under consideration.

In addition, the corporation conducted personnel changes, including reassigning Shim Jae-chang, appointed as Head of Safety Management Headquarters in August, to Head of the Technology Headquarters.

The position of Head of Safety Management Headquarters will be temporarily filled by Kim Un-gwan, the next-ranking official and Director of the Safety Planning Department.

Head Ahn stated, “To ensure the safety of the Seoul subway used by countless customers, maintenance and management of operating vehicles, as well as timely replacement of aging vehicles, are of utmost importance. We will devote all efforts to managing the trains so that citizens can use the subway safely.”

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