Subway train derails in southeastern Seoul

By Kim Tae-jong

A subway train derailed in southeastern Seoul Saturday, which led its operator Korail to face mounting criticism over safety. It was the fifth incident this year for trains operated by Korail. No injuries have been reported so far.

The derailment took place at 12:38 a.m. as the train entered Jukjeon Station on the Bundang Line. The accident halted the operation of other subway trains for five hours.

The rear wheels of the six-car train came off the track as it lowered its speed to stop at the station, prompting three carriages of the train to be derailed, Korail officials said.

Korail suspected a problem in the railway lines as the main reason behind the derailment.

“According to our internal investigation, there was no abnormality in the trains or driver error that could lead to the accident. But it was rather related to problems in the tracks,” an official from Korail said Sunday.

There were 16 passengers on the train when the accident happened, but no one was injured. The state-run railway operator has been under fire as a series of accidents have occurred recently.

On Feb. 25, a KTX bullet train bound for Seoul from Busan stopped for about 45 minutes in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The first KTX derailment was on Feb. 11 near Gwangmyeong Station in Gyeonggi Province.