Railway operators who fail to report instances of railroad workers consuming alcohol or drugs despite knowing about it will face fines of up to 4.5 million won.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced today (August 23) that it will put forward a partial amendment to the enforcement decree and enforcement rules of the Railway Safety Act containing these measures for legislative notice from the 24th of this month to October 6.

This is a follow-up measure stemming from a recent amendment to the Railway Safety Act that made it mandatory for railway operators to report such incidents to investigative authorities.

The amendment establishes detailed criteria for imposing differential fines based on the number of violations of the reporting obligation.

The fine is set at 1.5 million won for a first violation, 3 million won for a second violation, and 4.5 million won for three or more violations.

The amendment also specifies prohibited substances that, if taken before an alcohol breath test, will be considered an obstruction of testing.

These consist of two types of substances that can affect blood alcohol concentration: verapamil hydrochloride (a heart medication) and erythromycin (an antibiotic).

Additionally, the amendment stipulates that fines ranging from 300,000 to 900,000 won will be imposed if landowners refuse entry to railway operators for track inspection and management without justifiable cause.

Cho Sung-kyun, Director General for Railway Safety Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "This amendment will significantly reduce the likelihood of railroad workers drinking or using drugs while on duty, and enhance on-site response capabilities during urgent railway facility inspections."

(File Photo: Yonhap News)