"If preventive measures like subway non-stop service or road control had been implemented..."

The Effect of Subway Non-Stop Passages During Large Events Cannot Be Ignored
"Safety Management Plans Must Be Manualized and Frequently Trained"

A child is paying respects at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon accident set up at Seoul Plaza, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 31st. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Regarding the Itaewon tragedy, a safety expert diagnosed, "It is regrettable that the authorities did not propose preventive measures such as non-stop subway passage or road control."

Moon Hyun-chul, a professor at Soongsil University (Department of Disaster Safety Management), said in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the morning of the 31st, "There are various complex factors, but the biggest one is our safety negligence." He added, "I wondered if so many people could gather in an alleyway that is not even flat, but in reality, they did gather, and we overlooked that fact. Especially, there is a subway station passing through that area, and if the subway had passed without stopping, wouldn't it have been possible to prevent even more people from gathering?"

In response to the host's question, "During the World Fireworks Festival, the subway passed through Yeouido without stopping. Was that effective?" Professor Moon said, "Since accessibility is lower, some people might have gone elsewhere while coming that way. But the accident site is right near the subway station, isn't it?"

Professor Moon said, "Those points are truly regrettable," emphasizing, "This is a case where trying to secure convenience led to a bigger disaster. The message is 'We must secure safety even if it means enduring some inconvenience.'"

Regarding the deployment of safety personnel, he said, "Depending on whether there is an organizer or not, the responsible ministry and jurisdiction laws change, so that is not a wrong statement. However, since our citizens gathered, danger arose, and a large-scale disaster occurred, the organizer issue can certainly be discussed from a disaster management perspective."

He continued, "Article 5 of the Framework Act on Disaster and Safety Management stipulates that the state and local governments have an obligation to protect citizens and residents from danger. Also, the act obliges all citizens to report any observed dangers. According to these two provisions, if the non-stop subway passage was anticipated to this extent, it should have been strictly followed, but it is incomprehensible," he pointed out.

He added, "If the area had been designated as a car-free street and operated accordingly, people who would have entered the alleys might have come out to the main roads. If such detailed wisdom had been applied, the number of casualties would have been much lower," emphasizing, "These things must be manualized and trained in safety management plans."

The controversy over whether the subway should have passed without stopping related to the Itaewon tragedy is also arising in the political sphere. On the 31st, former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok posted on his Facebook advocating for automatic non-stop subway operation. Lee said, "Based on data such as the density of telecom base stations and transportation card boarding and alighting statistics, non-stop operation should be automatically implemented without human judgment. If the number of people continuously alighting at Itaewon Station had been controlled early, the situation would have eased."

He also said, "I hope such tragedies never happen again through broad consideration and focused investment in safety measures for crowded areas," adding, "Above all, it is most regrettable that time cannot be turned back two days."

Go Min-jung, a senior member of the Democratic Party of Korea, also pointed out on Facebook that day, "Seoul Metro might have allowed the subway to pass without stopping, but no action was taken." She added, "When pointing out this problem, city officials responded, 'There must be a risk factor for it to be possible. You cannot make the subway pass without stopping just because there are many people.'"

She continued, "During the 2016 candlelight rallies, there were no risk factors, and it was not an event hosted by Seoul City, but the subway was allowed to pass without stopping at that time. Rather, since even safety inspection meetings were not held, wasn't the non-stop subway operation not even considered?" she criticized.

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