In a recent development, South Korea's high-speed rail system, the KTX, has been found to have used substandard components, raising serious safety concerns. The incident was revealed by the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, which filed charges against seven individuals from a parts manufacturer and two engineers from the Korea Railway Corporation for falsifying documents and accepting bribes.
According to the investigation, between March 2009 and October 2012, six companies involved in the production of railway parts were found to have forged import declarations, passing off domestic-made parts as imported ones and even using old components as new. These fraudulent activities generated profits ranging from 14 million to 310 million won.
Further details show that senior technicians at the Korea Railway Corporation abused their authority to transfer component procurement plans worth 20 million won to lower-level staff, resulting in a profit of 11 million won. It is estimated that there are at least 17,521 defective parts stored in the relevant warehouses. These parts were not only used in the KTX but also in the Seoul Metro system.
The problematic components include brake system parts such as check Valves, relays, thrust nuts, and screw rings. Although inspection reports suggest these parts do not pose a significant threat to the safety of the KTX, the sheer number of components—each train contains over 2 million parts—makes it extremely challenging to detect all defects during inspections.
Chief Inspector Xin Yingshuo stated that the report has been submitted to the railway company for further cooperation in inspections. The department will re-examine the import declarations and inspection records and propose improvements to the management system of KTX main parts. The goal is to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
This case highlights the importance of strict quality control and transparency in the railway industry. As public trust is crucial for the success of any transportation system, authorities must take swift and decisive action to ensure the safety and reliability of the KTX and other rail services.
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