The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport building. [The Herald Business DB]
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport building. [The Herald Business DB]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday it had voted to impose a combined 1.86 billion won ($1.22 million) in fines on rail operators over five separate accidents, following a Railway Safety Administrative Disposition Review Committee meeting held that afternoon in Seoul.

The largest case involved an SRT high-speed train on the Gyeongbu High-Speed Line that lost a power transmission component — a tripod joint that transfers motor rotation to the wheels — as it was entering Cheonan-Asan Station in October 2024, causing 4.95 billion won in property damage.

The incident violated Article 9 of SR Co.'s high-speed rail vehicle maintenance regulations. Because the property damage exceeded the 2 billion won threshold under the Railway Safety Act's penalty guidelines, SR was fined 720 million won.

In February 2025, a worker died on the Donghae Line at Geundeok Station after being pinned by a rail motor car that rolled when its brakes failed while the worker was servicing the vehicle's signal equipment from underneath.

The accident violated Article 36 of Korea Railroad Corporation's industrial safety and health management rules and Article 36 of its general train operation procedures. Because the incident resulted in one fatality — meeting the threshold of one to fewer than three deaths — Korea Railroad Corporation was fined 360 million won.

A fine of 540 million won was also imposed over a separate fatal accident on the Gyeongbu Line between Cheongdo and Namseonghyeon stations in August 2025, in which a Mugunghwa train struck seven safety inspection workers moving along the tracks, killing two and injuring five others.

Fines were additionally levied for two cases involving unauthorized changes to approved railway safety management systems. Rail operators must obtain ministry approval before reducing maintenance items or extending parts inspection intervals specified in their approved safety management systems, but both Korea Railroad Corporation and SR made such changes without authorization.

"Violations of track-work safety rules, illegal vehicle modifications and unauthorized changes to safety management systems can directly lead to major rail accidents, including worker fatalities," said Jo Seong-gyun, the ministry's railway safety policy director. "We will take strict action against violations of railway safety laws and put in place measures to prevent similar accidents from recurring."


hss@heraldcorp.com