Ministry of Land Launches Investigation into Fatal Accident at Uiwang Station...Another Tragedy for Railway Workers Repeats

"Strict Actions and Enhanced Safety Measures"

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched an investigation into the cause of an accident that occurred at Uiwang Station on the Gyeongbu Line on the 29th, where an employee of Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) died. Although measures to prevent deaths among railway workers have been implemented, the recurrence of a similar accident has now prompted a review of the effectiveness of on-site safety management.

A freight train is stopped at a railway freight terminal in the Gyeonggi area. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

According to the Ministry, at around 7:20 a.m. on this day, a KORAIL employee was killed while organizing freight cars within the premises of Uiwang Station on the Gyeongbu Line in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. Organizing the cars involves connecting, disconnecting, and moving railcars to form a train set.

Immediately after the accident, KORAIL dispatched an initial response team and reported the incident to the Ministry of Employment and Labor as well as to the police and fire authorities. To ensure on-site safety, all freight car organizing operations at Uiwang Station were suspended.

Following the accident, the Ministry sent railway officials, railway police, railway safety inspectors, and Korea Transportation Safety Authority inspectors to the scene. As of 10 a.m., the cause and circumstances of the accident were under investigation. It was confirmed that there were no disruptions to train operations as of that time.

The exact circumstances of the accident will be determined through investigations conducted by the railway police and labor inspectors. The Ministry stated that if violations of safety regulations or management responsibility are confirmed as a result of the investigation, necessary actions will be taken in accordance with relevant rules.

In recent years, fatal accidents involving railway workers have continued to occur at worksites. In November 2022, one KORAIL worker died during freight car organizing at Obong Station. In August 2024, two workers lost their lives at Guro Station. In February last year, one person died at Geundeok Station, and in August of the same year, two people died near Cheongdo Station.

The Ministry now plans to reassess existing measures to prevent workplace fatalities in the railway industry and review on-site work procedures in light of this incident. Based on the results of the investigation, additional measures will be developed to address repeated accidents related to work procedures and safety management issues.

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