“Korail president offers resignation over fatal Cheongdo train accident”, 21 August 2025

Han Moon-hee, president of Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail), is reported to have offered his resignation following the fatal train accident that occurred on 19 August in Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang Province.

According to Korail, the incident took place at around 10:50 a.m. when Mugunghwa Train No. 1903, travelling on the Gyeongbu Line between Namseonghyeon and Cheongdo Stations, struck a group of maintenance workers. The workers had been carrying out safety inspections of slopes damaged by recent flooding.

The crash resulted in two deaths and five others sustaining serious or critical injuries. Of the seven workers involved, one was a direct Korail employee, while the remaining six were employed by a subcontractor specialising in infrastructure safety inspections.

The incident has reignited scrutiny of Korail’s safety management, particularly as it follows a series of previous fatal accidents. In August last year, two workers were killed and one injured in a collision between two rail maintenance vehicles at dawn near Guro Station in Seoul. At the time, President Han faced strong criticism from bereaved families for remarks perceived as attributing blame to the deceased workers. Korail later claimed the comments were misunderstood during an attempt to offer condolences.

Despite repeated accidents and public criticism, systemic safety reforms have failed to prevent further casualties. The latest incident has prompted renewed calls for accountability and structural changes in how subcontracted railway maintenance work is overseen.