The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are at odds over responsibility for the delays in the opening of the GTX-A line due to missing rebar at Samseong Station.
On September 17, the Seoul city government expressed regret over Hong Ji-sun's statement during a National Assembly confirmation hearing the previous day, in which the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport indicated plans to file a subrogation claim against the city for operational losses stemming from the missing rebar. Seoul argued that it is inappropriate to assume the city's responsibility before an objective verification of the causes of the losses has been completed.
The non-stop service through Samseong Station was originally scheduled to begin in August 2026. Following the confirmation of the missing rebar in November 2025, Seoul conducted its own safety inspections and developed reinforcement plans in December. After drafting a detailed construction plan in March 2026, the city shared its specific reinforcement measures and future plans with the Korea Railroad Corporation on April 24 and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on April 29.
Seoul stated that it aimed to complete the reinforcement work by July while ensuring safety during the construction and operational testing. The city emphasized that the safety of the structure was not solely determined by its own assessment. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conducted an emergency night inspection on April 29, and the Korea Railroad Corporation carried out an urgent safety inspection with external experts from May 6 to 8, confirming that there were no safety issues. Consequently, the verification tests for the facilities, which had been suspended, resumed, leading to a total of 94 train test runs by May 19.
Seoul reported that vibration measurements also yielded results below the established standards. The maximum vibration speed measured on May 5 was 0.069 cm/s, while a measurement conducted by the Ministry and the Korea Railroad Corporation on July 15-16 showed 0.049 cm/s. The city noted that both figures are less than one-fourth of the railway facility standard of 0.3 cm/s.
Seoul has consistently maintained that it could proceed with the reinforcement work and the non-stop service through Samseong Station, provided safety was ensured. However, the city claims that the Ministry delayed the schedule due to additional inspections, which led to the postponement of the timeline. The inspection period, originally set to conclude by July 20, was extended by four months to November 20, resulting in delays to both the reinforcement work, which was supposed to be completed in July, and the non-stop service, initially planned for August.
Seoul stated, "As the schedule for the non-stop service is delayed, the inconvenience for residents in the metropolitan area using the GTX-A, including those from Dongtan, Seongnam, and Unjeong, is also prolonged."
Furthermore, the city argued, "It is inappropriate for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Railroad Corporation to delay the related procedures for an extended period under the pretext of additional verification, despite having confirmed the structural safety and resumed test operations, and then to shift the increased costs onto the taxpayers of Seoul."
Seoul plans to distinguish between responsibilities for the missing rebar and those arising from the additional inspections and schedule delays if a subrogation claim is actually filed in the future.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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