Official Apology Issued After 98 Days Regarding Death of Disabled Person at Bucheon Sangdong Station by Seoul Metro Corporation

On the 16th day of construction, it was announced, "An unfortunate accident occurred on March 9th at Sangdong Station due to the release of firefighting carbon dioxide, resulting in the death of a citizen," and we bow our heads in apology to the deceased and their bereaved family.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seoul Metro officially apologized 98 days after a person with a disability died in the restroom at Sangdong Station in Bucheon on March 9.

On the 16th, the corporation stated, “An unfortunate accident occurred on March 9 at Sangdong Station where a citizen died due to the release of carbon dioxide used for fire extinguishing,” and bowed deeply to offer condolences to the deceased and apologies to the bereaved family.

Bucheon Police announced in an official statement the previous day that the death of the late Yoo Seung-hoon, a person with a disability, was caused by carbon dioxide released from the fire extinguishing system at the Sangdong Station substation, and sent three Seoul Metro on-site employees to the prosecution.

Accordingly, the corporation said on the same day, “The police investigation has been ongoing for three months since the accident, and the case was sent to the prosecution on June 15,” adding, “We will sincerely cooperate with the upcoming prosecution investigation and take appropriate measures against those responsible according to the law’s judgment.”

They also stated, “We have reorganized the manual to control access during evacuation guidance and emergency rescue situations to prevent harm to transportation-vulnerable individuals,” and promised to strengthen accident prevention systems by installing motion detection centers in disabled restrooms at all stations on Lines 1 to 8, replacing clean extinguishing agents in electrical function rooms, and reinforcing insulation facilities.

Meanwhile, the Countermeasure Coalition filed a complaint with the prosecution on the 10th against Bucheon City and Seoul Metro, calling Yoo’s death a 'social homicide' due to the poor safety systems of Bucheon City and Seoul Metro, drawing attention to the investigation results.

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