[2023 National Audit] Frequent Escalator Repairs... "99% Are Made in China"

Since 2019, it has been revealed that 99% of escalators installed in South Korea are of Chinese origin.

According to data submitted by the Korea Elevator Safety Agency to Jeong Woo-taek, a member of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee from the People Power Party, on the 26th, an average of 30 escalator accidents occurred annually from 2019 to last year, with a total of 142 victims.

Interview_Jung Woo-taek, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Additionally, 99% of escalators installed domestically since 2019 have been found to be Chinese-made. Since the introduction of the safety certification system in 2019, approximately 6,600 escalators have been installed domestically, and except for 1% installed through individual certification, all are estimated to be Chinese-made.

While citizens experience inconvenience due to escalators stopped because of malfunctions, replacement parts also rely on China. Although there are a total of 7,975 aged escalators that have been in use for more than 20 years since installation, despite the urgent need to replace broken or worn parts, the office of Assemblyman Jeong reported that there are no spare parts available from importers or the agency, making domestic parts supply difficult.

Assemblyman Jeong pointed out, "The Korean escalator finished product and parts market is dominated by cheap Chinese products," adding, "When an escalator composed of 100 parts breaks down, except for 6 parts, the remaining 94 parts cannot be replaced until they are supplied from China, leaving us with no choice but to wait."

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