Rider Thrown from Amusement Park Ride… Absurd Explanation

[Anchor]

Two months ago in Wolmido, Incheon, an accident occurred where a visitor was thrown out of an operating amusement ride. It turned out that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the regulatory and supervisory body, was completely unaware of the incident. Officials even offered the absurd explanation that they only find out about such accidents when they appear in news reports.

Reporter Kwon Min-kyu has the details.

[Reporter]

People are gathered in front of an operating amusement ride, and a man is lying barefoot on the ground.

In August, a man in his 30s was thrown out of a "Disco Pang Pang" ride at the Wolmido theme park in Incheon.

Yet, the ride continued to operate.

[If anyone feels dizzy or has a hard time while riding, please let me know. That way I can let you off in the middle.]

The theme park stated that it had received a favorable evaluation regarding safety during a regular inspection by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

[Wolmido Theme Park Official: There is nothing wrong. If there was something wrong with the machine, everyone who rode it should have had something wrong with them.]

[Wolmido Theme Park Visitor: If (safety) was rated as favorable, an accident like that shouldn't have happened. Our trust in the inspection that gave it a favorable rating inevitably drops.]

Over the past 10 years, there have been 10 amusement ride accidents at the Wolmido theme park reported to the police alone. The damages were severe, including a 10-year-old girl falling from mid-air and a ride crashing from a height of 40 meters, injuring five people.

Under the Tourism Promotion Act, when a major accident occurs on an amusement ride, the operator must notify the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and take safety measures.

However, according to data submitted by the Ministry to the National Assembly, only one major accident was recorded during the same period.

Under current law, accidents are not classified as major unless the damage is severe enough to cause a visitor's death or unconsciousness.

When asked how they track amusement ride accidents, a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official gave the absurd response that they only find out after seeing news reports.

[Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Official: Once it appears in the news, we naturally look into the circumstances of the accident... since there is no legal obligation to report it unless it's a major accident.]

[Choi Min-hee / National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee Member (Democratic Party): Deciding to manage only major accidents is truly passive administration. Through a revision of the law, whenever casualties occur, reporting to the government and local authorities must be made mandatory...]

In response to an inquiry from SBS regarding improvement measures, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "We plan to review improvements to the scope of accidents by gathering opinions from experts."

(Video by Kim Nam-sung and Lee Sang-hak | Video Editing by Shin Se-eun | Graphics by Yang Gi-tae | Footage provided by YouTube channel 'Silver-i' | Data provided by the office of lawmaker Choi Min-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.