Eunju Lee, Seoul City Councilor, "Need for Safety Management and Mid- to Long-Term Measures for Seoul City's Elevator Convenience Facilities"

Assemblywoman Lee Eun-ju Emphasizes Safety Management of Elevation Convenience Facilities in Seoul Through Policy Forum for Enactment of Ordinance on Safety Management... Highlights Need for Safety Measures and Practical Countermeasures Amid Enforcement of Serious Accident Punishment Act

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seoul Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee member Eunju Lee (Democratic Party, Nowon 2) emphasized the need for ultimate and practical measures for the safety management of Seoul’s elevator and escalator facilities at the policy forum held at 10 a.m. on the 27th titled “Ordinance on the Safety Management of Elevator and Escalator Facilities in Seoul Metropolitan City.”

In her opening remarks at the forum, Councilor Lee stated, “Among the total 2,779 elevator and escalator facilities close to citizens in the subway, more than 43% have a durability period of over 10 years. Through a fact-finding survey on this, urgent safety management and practical policy preparation are required.”

She also emphasized, “It is necessary to understand the current status of these elevator and escalator facilities, overcome the difficulties faced, and ultimately prioritize citizens’ safety in policies.”

The forum, held to discuss the enactment of an ordinance related to the safety management of Seoul’s elevator and escalator facilities and related policies, began with a presentation titled “Reducing Major Safety Accidents in Elevator and Escalator Facilities Using the 4th Industrial Revolution” by Jongtae Song, Technical Chairman of the Korea Elevator Industry Cooperative.

Presenter Jongtae Song stated, “Looking at the current status of subway elevator and escalator facilities alone, manufacturers, bidders, installers, and maintenance managers are all different during new installations and parts upgrades. This structure can be seen as evading safety responsibility for elevator and escalator facilities. Additionally, the method of re-bidding maintenance every two years causes employment instability and lack of expertise among workers.” He argued, “In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, it is ultimately necessary to prevent safety accidents by utilizing data.”

In the subsequent discussion, chaired by Councilor Eunju Lee, participants included Hyungjun Ahn, Head of the Elevator Business Office at Seoul Transportation Corporation; Yonggi Eom, President of the Korea Elevator Association; Changil Kim, Chairman of the Elevator Technology Promotion Institute; and Soonkyu Park, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan City Architectural Planning Division. They analyzed the current status of safety management of Seoul’s elevator and escalator facilities and engaged in in-depth discussions on policy preparation for reducing safety accidents in anticipation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act.

During the open discussion, Hyungjun Ahn, Head of the Elevator Business Office at Seoul Transportation Corporation, emphasized the current reality of Seoul Transportation Corporation’s subway elevator and escalator facilities, stating, “Currently, the elevator and escalator facilities operated by Seoul Transportation Corporation are planning and promoting strategies such as renovation projects due to aging and personnel reinforcement. However, we are facing difficulties due to budget shortages.”

Councilor Lee, who hosted the forum, said, “Through this forum, I hope to create an environment where elevator and escalator facilities can be used safely and conveniently for their original purpose by listening to experts’ opinions and the current status and implementing appropriate policies for Seoul.” She added, “As the vice-chair of the Transportation Committee, I will not spare support corresponding to such policies.”

The forum was held as a non-face-to-face video conference to comply with COVID-19 quarantine guidelines and was broadcast live on the Seoul Metropolitan Council’s YouTube channel.

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