Baek Won-guk, 2nd Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, "Strict measures if strike causes negligence in Line 4 derailment accident"

Baek Won-guk, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated that if negligence related to the strike is confirmed in connection with the derailment accident of a work vehicle on Line 4 that occurred early on the 15th, strict measures must be taken.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Vice Minister Baek said on the day, "A thorough investigation must be conducted to determine whether there were any abnormalities in maintaining the safety management system, such as vehicle maintenance and facility inspections," and added, "If negligence due to the railway union strike is confirmed, strict measures corresponding to that must be taken."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport dispatched an initial response team, including railway safety inspectors, to the site to take action regarding the accident in which a southbound work vehicle operating from Beomgye Station to Geumjeong Station on Line 4 of the metropolitan area derailed at around 3:48 a.m.

According to the Ministry, there were no casualties from this derailment accident. Although operations between Beomgye and Geumjeong were temporarily suspended due to the derailment, restoration work was completed, and normal operations resumed around 8:30 a.m. However, the metropolitan railway experienced delays ranging from 15 to 63 minutes across 12 instances.

The Ministry requested relevant agencies, including Gyeonggi Province, to disseminate messages for concentrated taxi dispatch near Beomgye Station to alleviate congestion during rush hour, and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority plans to conduct occasional inspections of the railway safety management system in the affected section.

Furthermore, violations of the Railway Safety Act, such as neglecting the obligation to maintain the safety management system, will also be reviewed, and strict measures will be taken in accordance with laws and principles.

According to the Railway Safety Act, those who cause serious and clear disruptions to railway operations or the management of railway facilities by violating the safety management system may face imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won.

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