'Safety Blindness' in Cheongdo Train Accident: 5 Out of 7 Victims are Young Adults in Their 20s and 30s

Accident Occurred on the First Day of Deployment for a Hastily Assembled Team; Repetition of a Chronic Problem in Industrial Sites

Evidence of Negligence in Manpower Allocation and Site Management Emerges; Police Investigating Violations of Safety Regulations

CCTV footage showing workers moving shortly before the Cheongdo train accident [Provided by Reader. Reproduction and database prohibited]

Among the seven workers who were struck by a train and either died or were injured while moving near the railway for safety checks on the Gyeongbu Line in Cheongdo, Gyeongsangbuk-do, on the 19th, five were revealed to be young laborers in their 20s and 30s.

Critics point out that the chronic problem of industrial sites, where young workers are pushed into dangerous environments without adequate safety measures, has been repeated once again.

According to the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), police, and fire authorities, one of the seven victims in this train accident was an employee of KORAIL, the prime contractor. The remaining six (two deceased, four injured) were employees of a subcontractor specializing in structural safety inspections.

It was confirmed that they were a hastily formed team to expedite the railway embankment inspection, a task not originally included in their contract, at KORAIL's request, and the accident occurred on their first day of deployment to the site.

Among them, Mr. A (29), who joined KORAIL three years ago, was dispatched to the Civil Engineering Division of the Daegu Regional Office, which oversees facility-related work, in July, and the accident occurred about a month later.

Among the six subcontractor employees, four were workers in their 20s and 30s, consisting of two regular employees and two part-time workers responsible for tasks such as monitoring train access during the operation.

Some of these individuals had joined after working on tunnel and bridge inspection tasks in other regions to hastily complete additional tasks.

Furthermore, the two workers who died in this accident were both 30-something employees of the subcontractor.

A representative from the subcontractor stated, "Because our employees did not know the location of the facilities that required additional inspection, one KORAIL employee accompanied them to the site at the time."

This has led to criticism that KORAIL's directive to have Mr. A, who has relatively little field experience, manage the subcontractor's employees was inappropriate.

A representative of the railway union pointed out, "The union has long demanded that the company send personnel with at least five years of experience as a foreman (work team leader) or equivalent experience as a site supervisor," adding, "Currently, a structure is being repeated where inexperienced managers are assigning tasks to workers who know the site best."

A representative from a company in the railway facility inspection sector commented, "It seems KORAIL hastily deployed even junior employees due to the increased number of sites requiring safety checks following the recent heavy rainfall."

Joint investigation by related agencies into the Cheongdo train accident Cheongdo=Yonhap News) Reporter Yoon Gwan-sik = A joint investigation by related agencies is underway at the Gyeongbu Line railway near the Cheongdo Bullfighting Stadium in Samshin-ri, Hwayang-eup, Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, on the 20th, into the train accident that occurred the previous day. The previous day, a Mugunghwa train struck seven workers who were working near the tracks, resulting in two deaths and five injuries. 2025.8.20 psik@yna.co.kr

Three days after the accident, evidence of negligence in manpower deployment systems by companies and authorities, as well as lax site management and a lack of safety awareness, is continuously surfacing.

According to investigative authorities, it was revealed that two of the six subcontractor employees who were victims of this accident were not included in the list of task participants originally prepared by the company. One of these two individuals died.

For this reason, it is suggested that some of the personnel deployed to the actual work, contrary to the plan, may have been sent to the site without sufficient safety training, despite undertaking extremely dangerous tasks near active railway lines.

Furthermore, it was found that the relevant companies and others had identified potential hazards that could cause train accidents at the site before commencing safety inspection work, but made almost no efforts to ensure visibility, prepare evacuation areas for dangerous moments during movement, or secure passageways.

A police official stated, "We will conduct a comprehensive investigation into not only the human error that caused this accident but also contractual relationships and any violations of safety regulations." Yonhap News