KORAIL chief steps down after bullet train derailment

Korea Railroad CEO Oh Young-sik, right, heads to ride a KTX bullet train at Gangneung Station in Gangwon Province, Dec. 10, when the transportation service resumed in three days after a KTX bound from Gangneung to Seoul derailed, injuring a dozen passengers. Yonhap

Oh Young-sik, CEO of the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), resigned Tuesday, taking responsibility for the derailment of a bullet train that injured over a dozen passengers in the country's northeast.

"I have emphasized that (ensuring) the safety of our people is the most important role and reason for KORAIL's existence, but I take full responsibility with my deepest apologies for failing to keep that promise," he said in a statement.

A Seoul-bound KTX train ran off the tracks in the eastern provincial city of Gangneung early Saturday and injured 16 passengers aboard, with no fatalities.

Oh has faced criticism after he cited "freezing weather" as a possible cause of the derailment in a press briefing hours after the accident. He has been blamed for not addressing the problem properly despite a series of similar incidents that happened in recent months.

Oh, a three-time lawmaker, took the top post at KORAIL in February. (Yonhap)