The Seoul Transportation Corporation has been fined 240 million won ($240,000) for failing to report a railway incident, despite having previously received a corrective order for similar violations.
On November 6, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that during a meeting of the Railway Safety Administrative Sanctions Review Committee held on November 5, it decided to impose a total fine of 252.5 million won for five violations, including one instance of non-compliance with a corrective order and four unauthorized changes in railway vehicle maintenance organizations.
Last October, the Seoul Transportation Corporation received a corrective order from the ministry to ensure that all railway incidents were reported. However, it failed to report a railway incident that occurred on February 2 at the Seoul National University Station on Line 2.
Investigations revealed that despite the abnormal condition of a track switch, the signal operator altered the circuit to display a proceed signal. When a proceed signal is shown while there is an obstruction on the track, it is classified as a 'near miss' under railway safety law.
The ministry deemed that the Seoul Transportation Corporation did not have a valid reason for failing to comply with the corrective order and decided to impose a fine of 240 million won.
Additionally, four maintenance organizations that changed their maintenance personnel without reporting to the ministry also faced fines. According to regulations, if the number of maintenance personnel changes exceeds 10%, prior approval from the ministry is required, while changes between 5% and 10% must be reported.
Metro Tech, Korea Railroad Corporation, Korea Rolling Stock Engineering, and Eugene Vehicle were found to have changed maintenance personnel without following these procedures. As a result, Metro Tech was fined 5 million won, while Korea Railroad Corporation, Korea Rolling Stock Engineering, and Eugene Vehicle each received fines of 2.5 million won.
Administrative sanctions were also decided for 35 railway workers who violated railway safety laws. The violations included two railway incidents, four cases of mobile phone use, one instance of failing to follow up on actions, and 28 cases of not confirming boarding and alighting or not adhering to signals and speed limits.
Among these, three individuals will face license suspensions: two for two months and one for one month, while the remaining 32 will receive warnings.
The results of this review are not immediately final. The ministry will notify the parties involved and conduct a consultation process before finalizing the sanctions.
Cho Seong-kyun, director of railway safety policy at the ministry, stated, "It is essential for railway operating organizations to comply with railway safety laws and regulations to ensure the safety of the public and railway workers. We will take strict action against violations and manage oversight to prevent similar incidents from recurring."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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