[2023 National Audit] Seoul Subway Experiences One Slip Incident Every Five Days

Democratic Party Rep. Hwang Hee's National Assembly Audit Data
Half of the Entire History, Platform-Train Gap Over 10cm
Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station Gap Up to 18cm

It has been revealed that a gap-fall accident occurs once every five days on the Seoul subway. Half of all stations have a gap exceeding 10 cm between the platform and the train, and some stations have gaps as large as 18 cm, posing a safety threat to subway passengers.

According to data submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea for the National Assembly audit on the 17th, there have been 320 gap-fall accidents on subway platforms in the past five years. The numbers were 99 cases in 2019, 51 in 2020, 55 in 2021, 82 in 2022, and 33 as of August 2023.

The data only includes passengers who received medical expense payments due to gap-fall accidents between the platform and the train. If accidents involving passengers who did not receive medical payments were included, the actual number of accidents would likely be higher. Insurance payouts for the 320 gap-fall accidents amounted to 164.17 million KRW, with an average of about 510,000 KRW per person for medical expenses.

On September 11th, passengers at City Hall Station on Seoul Subway Line 2 are passing over the automatic platform installed between the platform and the train.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Gap-fall accidents on the Seoul subway occurred most frequently on Line 2, Line 4, and Line 3, in that order. Among stations on Lines 1 through 9, half of the stations have gaps exceeding 10 cm between the platform and the train.

Line 2 had the highest number of stations with gaps exceeding 10 cm, with 35 stations (707 boarding locations). Line 3 had 34 stations (892 locations), Line 4 had 20 stations (546 locations), and Line 5 had 20 stations (416 locations). Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station was found to have the largest gap, reaching up to 18 cm.

Article 30-2, Paragraph 3 of the Urban Railway Construction Regulations (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ordinance No. 910) stipulates that safety footboards or other equipment to prevent passenger slips must be installed where the gap between the vehicle and the platform edge exceeds 10 cm.

Rep. Hwang Hee said, “TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel information site, lists riding the Seoul subway as ‘one thing tourists must do’ in Korea,” adding, “There is a need to further expand safety facilities.”

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has installed automatic safety footboards at 7 stations (41 locations), rubber footboards at 149 stations (3,942 locations), and portable safety footboards at 204 stations (220 locations) to prevent gap-fall accidents. Warning signs have been posted at 52,390 locations across all 313 stations on Lines 1 through 9.

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