South Korea to expand remote-controlled shunting after Uiwang Station death

South Korea plans to expand remote-controlled rolling-stock systems after a Korail employee was killed during shunting work at Uiwang Station, renewing scrutiny of safety procedures in railway yards.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it would meet with Korea Railroad Corporation, known as Korail, to discuss wider adoption of wireless control systems and stronger safety management. The move follows the death of a Korail worker in his 50s, who was crushed while separating freight cars at Uiwang Station on Aug. 29.

Shunting involves connecting, separating and moving cars to form a train. Under the remote-control system, workers can operate the vehicles with wireless devices without an engineer in the cab. The ministry said the system can prevent accidents caused by communication errors between engineers and ground workers.

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We take the fact that another fatal accident occurred during shunting work at Uiwang Station very seriously.

The ministry and Korail began pursuing the technology in 2021, but it currently operates at only three locations: Yeongju, Goedong and Jecheon marshalling yards. The ministry said it plans to introduce 11 remote-controlled train sets at eight stations by October and operate them in stages according to local conditions. Uiwang Station is scheduled to receive the system as well.

Railway safety inspectors will conduct special checks at major shunting sites, while the Korea Transportation Safety Authority will review railway safety-management systems. Officials said they would immediately correct shortcomings and consider institutional reforms based on the inspection results. Kim Tae-byeong, the ministry’s director general for railways, said authorities would investigate the accident and reflect any procedural gaps and workplace hazards in a railway safety plan to be drawn up in the second half of the year.

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We will thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and the entire work process, and reflect any institutional or procedural shortcomings and workplace hazards identified during the investigation in the railway safety measures to be established in the second half of this year.