186 cases. That is the number of railway accidents and service disruptions that occurred in Korea last year, averaging one every other day. Given that more than 3,500 trains run daily, covering 450,000 kilometers — more than 11 times around the Earth — it is a figure that can be judged either large or small.
While even a single accident or disruption should not occur, making accidents truly "zero" is closer to a slogan when one considers the reality of maintaining not only passengers but also facilities, electrical systems, and rolling stock. Fortunately, railway accidents and disruptions are on a declining trend each year, and compared to road traffic, the railway accident rate is significantly lower. Rail is the safest mode of transportation.
Even under these conditions, the reason railway operators aim for the near-impossible goal of "zero accidents" is that railways are the lifeblood connecting citizens' daily lives. When that lifeblood is blocked, the right to mobility — a fundamental right of citizens — is restricted, and ordinary daily life is shaken. Another lesson I have deeply absorbed on the ground during nearly 40 years as a railway professional is that once an operator loses safety, it is as if it has lost everything, and the driving force for new initiatives is extinguished.
In 2018, a KTX train derailed on the Gangneung Line, causing one injury and 22.7 billion won ($16.4 million) in property damage. Train operations were suspended for two days, causing significant inconvenience to passengers on that section. A year after the accident, the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board found that the cause was the fault of the construction company, but the operator, Korea Railroad Corporation, faced heavy public criticism at the time and had to endure a period of functioning like a paralyzed institution.
The biggest change I feel on the ground regarding safety is the shift in the safety management paradigm. In the past, the focus was on after-the-fact punishment, but now the center of safety has shifted toward prevention. When an accident occurs, many people turn their attention to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. On the surface, it appears to emphasize punishment. But this is an illusion. The true intent of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is to save precious lives and prevent accidents by investing and preparing adequate manpower, organization, and budget for safety.
It is said that accidents are unpredictable. However, many accidents can be sufficiently prevented if a prevention-oriented safety management system, organization, and budget are in place. In fact, as safety management systems are combined with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the number of accidents is being dramatically reduced. Railway safety is now supported by cutting-edge technologies such as AI and the Internet of Things (IoT). The high-speed train SRT reports its condition in real-time data through thousands of sensors. The train itself diagnoses, "The temperature of the right wheel is rising slightly." This is called "Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM)." The safety paradigm is shifting completely — from a reactive approach of cleaning up after an accident to "predictive maintenance," where data sends warnings in advance.
Finally, no matter how advanced technology becomes, prevention-centered safety ultimately lies in "people" and "culture." The enemy of safety that I guard against most is "authoritarianism." Authority is necessary in an organization, but authoritarianism that paralyzes communication threatens safety. In organizations dominated by authoritarianism, warning signs or mistakes are hidden behind the curtains of rank and hierarchy. An organizational culture in which risk factors can be communicated without hesitation, from junior staff to top management, is the last line of defense for safety. Guarding against authoritarianism and punishment-oriented responses, communicating constantly, and focusing on prevention — these are the efforts being made at railway sites today to ensure that trains carrying millions of passengers run safely.
