Accidents Keep Happening, But Ministry Admits: We Find Out Through News Reports

〈앵커〉

Two months ago, an amusement park visitor was thrown from a moving ride in Wolmido, Incheon. It has been revealed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the regulatory and supervisory body, was completely unaware of the incident. Officials even offered the absurd excuse that they only learn about such accidents when they appear in news reports.

Reporter Kwon Min-kyu has the story.

〈기자〉

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

In August, a man in his 30s was thrown from a disco ride called "Disco Pang Pang" at an amusement park in Wolmido, Incheon.

Yet the ride continued to operate.

[Ride operator: 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 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 a problem with the machine, everyone who rode it would have had a problem.]

[Wolmido Theme Park visitor: If safety was rated as good, an accident like that shouldn't have happened. It inevitably lowers our trust in the safety inspection.]

Over the past 10 years, amusement ride accidents at the Wolmido theme park registered with the police alone reached 10 cases, causing severe casualties including a 10-year-old girl falling from the air and five people injured when a ride plunged from a height of 40 meters.

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

However, data submitted by the Ministry to the National Assembly shows that there has been only one major accident during the same period.

Under the current law, unless the damage is severe enough to cause death or leave a visitor unconscious, it is not classified as a major accident.

When asked how they track amusement ride accidents, an official in charge at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism gave the absurd response: "We only find out after seeing news reports."

[Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official: We naturally figure out the details of the accident once it appears in the news. Since there is no legal obligation to report it unless it is 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 legal revisions, we must ensure that whenever casualties occur, it is mandatory to report them to the government and local authorities...]

In response to SBS's inquiry about 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."

(Photo: Provided by YouTube 'Silvery' / File Photo: Office of Representative Choi Min-hee)

Reported by Kim Nam-sung and Lee Sang-hak | Video edited by Shin Se-eun | Designed by Yang Gi-tae
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.