A series of rail accidents in South Korea may dampen enthusiasm for spending money on the North’s rail system.
There have been two major sets of stories involving Korean railroads in recent weeks. While many outside observers are closely following the South’s surveys of the North’s rail system to prepare for future infrastructure upgrades, a series of accidents culminating in last Saturday’s high-speed train derailment in South Korea continues to capture national headlines there.
The derailment of the Seoul-bound KTX train on the Gangneung line – opened less than a year ago in preparation for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in February – left 15 people injured. Preliminary findings indicate the accident was due to a malfunction in the rail switch system caused by cold weather, though this verdict could change depending on the results of an ongoing government investigation.
The derailment is the 10th accident on South Korea’s high-speed rail system in just three weeks. Despite the steady decline in train accidents over the past decade, recent assessments suggest there are still major safety issues with South Korea’s state-owned railway operator, KORAIL. In criticizing KORAIL, National Assemblyman Hong Chul-ho cited a report showing there have been 661 train accidents between 2013 and July this year, 109 of which involved high-speed KTX trains. Of the 51 accidents this year, 22 of them were caused by some form of mechanical error.
Amid heightened public scrutiny, the Moon administration is attempting to save face for its embattled national rail system.
