High-Speed Rail Accident Controversy: SR Says "Reporting Responsible Party is Korail"... Korail Says "SR Engineer Caused It" (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Gang-wook] Controversy is growing over the derailment accident that occurred during high-speed rail test runs last year. SR, the operator of the Suseo High-Speed Railway SRT, claims that Korail is responsible for reporting the incident, while Korail insists that the accident was caused by an SR-affiliated train driver.

SR, the operator of the Suseo High-Speed Railway SRT, stated on the 25th regarding the controversy over inadequate reporting of the derailment accident during high-speed rail test runs last year, "We immediately notified the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other related agencies," adding, "It is not true that the accident was concealed and only revealed belatedly."

In an explanatory document released that day, SR explained, "According to the 'Guidelines on Reporting Railway Accidents' (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport notice), the initial reporting obligation for accidents occurring at the Honam Railway Vehicle Maintenance Unit lies with Korail, the railway operator managing the accident section," and added, "SR received the report submitted by Korail to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and immediately re-notified the relevant agencies."

Regarding accusations of false reporting that there were no injuries, SR clarified, "After the accident, railway safety inspectors from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as well as officials from Korail and SR, were dispatched to the site, but no injuries were confirmed at that time," and continued, "We were first informed of the injuries during the railway police investigation on October 26 last year." They added, "Injuries to Korail employees are matters for Korail to handle and report."

On the issue that the accident was omitted from official statistics, leading to SRT receiving a no-accident certification last year, SR stated, "Until the revision of the law in October last year, accidents occurring during test runs of trains intended for commercial operation were not included in the category of railway accidents defined by the Railway Safety Act," emphasizing, "SR did not receive any separate no-accident certification last year, and therefore reports that the no-accident record led to a B grade in public enterprise evaluations are inaccurate."

Regarding criticism that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport imposed a fine of 360 million won on SRT only after receiving a report from the railway police about injuries, SR explained, "The fine was not due to the occurrence of injuries but was imposed based on vehicle damage caused by driver negligence," adding, "The amount was reduced due to reasons such as deficiencies in the safety system that existed since the construction of the test track at the Honam Railway Vehicle Maintenance Unit."

SR emphasized, "After the accident, related agencies including the Korea Rail Network Authority and Korail supplemented safety facilities such as the train automatic stop system on the test track where the accident occurred to meet installation standards."

In response, Korail stated, "This accident was caused by an SR-affiliated train driver who derailed due to speeding during an SRT test run."

Korail explained, "In accordance with relevant laws and regulations, we immediately made an initial report to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and notified related agencies," adding, "We also informed SR about the status of the injured (three people) and completed the industrial accident processing properly."

Korail further emphasized, "Although the accident was caused by an SR-affiliated train driver, since the injured belong to Korail, the industrial accident rate is included in our corporation's statistics," and stressed, "Whether injuries were concealed is unrelated to Korail."

Meanwhile, at around 12:17 a.m. on May 2 last year, a collision accident occurred at the Honam Railway Vehicle Maintenance Unit of Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) during a test run for signal device testing. The accident happened due to the driver exceeding the speed limit and deficiencies in the automatic stop system and test equipment, resulting in a collision with a blocking facility. Three people, including maintenance workers, were injured, and property damage worth tens of billions of won occurred. The train driver responsible for the accident is known to have been criminally prosecuted for professional negligence causing injury.

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