Seoul Slams Transport Ministry's Right of Indemnity over GTX-A Samsung Station Rebar Omission as Shifting Blame

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated that it will "firmly respond to the shifting of blame," following remarks by Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Hong Ji-sun during a National Assembly confirmation hearing on the 16th that the ministry plans to seek compensation from the city for operational losses resulting from omitted reinforcing bars at Samsung Station on the GTX-A line.

In an official statement released today (the 17th), the city of Seoul wrote, "It is highly inappropriate to unilaterally take Seoul's responsibility as a fait accompli and preemptively announce a claim for damages before even concluding an objective verification of the causes and attribution of liability for the losses."

Seoul stated, "The original schedule for the GTX-A non-stop passage through Samsung Station was slated for August of this year," adding, "Since confirming the missing rebar last November, the city has verified structural safety and pursued reinforcement work to ensure there were no disruptions to that schedule."

In particular, Seoul emphasized, "Structural safety was not judged by Seoul alone," noting that "the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the国家철도공단 (Korea National Railway) also directly inspected and verified safety."

It went on to ask rhetorically, "If it had been in a structurally dangerous state, could the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport have directly resumed test operations?"

Seoul explained that two rounds of vibration measurements conducted in May and July at the request of the Korea Authority of Land and Infrastructure Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Korea National Railway confirmed that the impact of passing trains on the structure was minimal.

"Accordingly, the GTX-A non-stop passage and the reinforcement work could proceed together, and there was no need to delay the non-stop passage due to the reinforcement work," the city said, adding, "Seoul has consistently maintained the position that reinforcement work and non-stop passage can be carried out in parallel, provided that safety is secured."

Pointing to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul noted, "Despite safety already being verified through related agency inspections during a sensitive period ahead of the election at the time, [the ministry] delayed the commencement of reinforcement work and extended the inspection period, which was originally scheduled until July 20, by another four months to November 20."

It added that consequently, the reinforcement work, which could have been completed by mid-July, and the scheduled August non-stop passage at Samsung Station were delayed.

Seoul criticized, "Even though the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea National Railway verified structural safety themselves and even resumed test operations, they delayed related procedures for an extended period under the pretext of additional verification," calling it "unreasonable and preposterous to force Seoul citizens' hard-earned tax money to shoulder the costs increased as a result."

It also warned, "If a claim for damages is actually filed in the future, we will clearly distinguish and question the responsibilities regarding the omitted rebar, additional inspections, and schedule delays."

It reiterated, "We will respond resolutely to the shifting of responsibility that attempts to pass even the additional costs incurred by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's decisions onto Seoul citizens' taxes."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.