▲ KORAIL
A Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) employee has died after being crushed by a train while performing shunting work to connect and disconnect freight cars at Uiwang Station on the Gyeongbu Line in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province.
According to the Seoul Railroad Special Judicial Police and firefighting authorities, the accident occurred at around 7:20 a.m. today (the 29th), when a KORAIL employee in his 50s, identified as Mr. A, was crushed by a train during shunting operations.
Fire authorities dispatched a response team after receiving a report from an official at Uiwang Station stating that a worker appeared to have been crushed under a train. However, Mr. A was already dead when rescue workers arrived at the scene.
Passenger trains passing through Uiwang Station are currently operating normally, while shunting operations have been suspended.
The Seoul Railroad Special Judicial Police believe that Mr. A, a regular employee, was performing the role of a shunting signalman—standing near the tracks and communicating with the train engineer via radio—when the accident took place.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor's Rules on Occupational Safety and Health Standards stipulate that train engineers and shunting workers must communicate using designated signaling methods during operation, effectively mandating a work system of at least two-person teams.
However, KORAIL stated that it is currently verifying how many workers, including Mr. A, were deployed to the site at the time of the accident.
Accordingly, the Seoul Railroad Special Judicial Police plan to investigate the exact cause of the accident in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, while intensively examining whether on-site safety rules, such as the two-person team protocol, were properly followed.
KORAIL expressed deep regret over the accident and stated that it will proceed with follow-up measures with the utmost respect in accordance with established procedures.
The corporation also conveyed that it will faithfully cooperate with the investigation by relevant authorities while preparing emergency safety measures and countermeasures to prevent recurrence.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also announced that it will investigate the cause of the accident this morning, take strict action based on a zero-tolerance policy, and formulate safety enhancement measures.
Accidents resulting in death or injury among workers at KORAIL work sites have continued to occur.
In November 2022, two KORAIL employees became casualties while performing freight train shunting work at Obong Station in Uiwang, and in August 2024, two employees were killed and one was injured after being struck by inspection and maintenance vehicle equipment at Guro Station in Seoul.
In February of last year, a subcontractor worker performing maintenance work was struck and killed by a train at Geundeok Station in Gangwon Province, and in August of the same year, a Mugunghwa train struck seven workers, including one KORAIL employee, on the Gyeongbu Line in Gyeongsangbuk-do, resulting in two subcontractor workers being killed and five injured.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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