Koreans were led to believe that public safety would receive the utmost attention following last year ’ s Sewol ferry disaster , which has been attributed to , among other things , blatant disregard for safety in pursuit of monetary gains . Yet , just as the nation is about to mark the first anniversary of that disaster , we are reminded how little progress has been made in raising awareness about safety . How else can one explain the statement issued by KORAIL following three incidents on the newly opened KTX Honam line that serves the southwestern corridor of the country ? In the first three days of operations , three incidents could have potentially led to accidents . On the first day , the exterior cover for washer liquid was discovered damaged as the train bound for Gwangju from Seoul approached Gwangmyeong Station . However , the train was allowed to continue operating without fixing the problem , albeit at a slower speed . KORAIL taped the damaged cover when the train arrived at Iksan Station , but it could not withstand the speed and fell off , only to be taped again at the next station . On April 4 , a KTX train bound for Gwangju came to an abrupt stop on a bridge near Osong Station due to a malfunction of the signal system . On the same day , a KTX train bound for Yongsan traveled in reverse for 1 km after electricity went out on a 5 . 3 km stretch between Iksan Station and Gongju Station . KORAIL said a bird ’ s nest on the electric wire caused the power outage that lasted nearly 90 minutes . All the mishaps could have been prevented if there had been thorough safety inspections . According to KORAIL , the damage to the exterior cover for washer liquid was caused by the train manufacturer ’ s failure to apply glue to affix the bolt . As for the abrupt stop on the bridge , KORAIL said a technical malfunction caused the train to stop for three minutes . The power outage between Iksan Station and Gongju Station was found to have been caused by a bird ’ s nest built on an insulator , according to a KORAIL statement . All these problems should have been spotted and fixed before the train service ever went into operation . However , the railway operator appears to be preoccupied with offering excuses , rather than admitting to its mistakes and failures . In the statement , KORAIL said that the company did not fully prepare for errors that could have led to delays but also insisted that the malfunctions would not have directly influenced safety . Does KORAIL really want the public to believe that those malfunctions and errors would not have led to an accident ? Betraying the company ’ s lackadaisical attitude toward safety , KORAIL went so far as to point out that errors can be expected in the early days of operation , citing the examples of the KTX Gyeongbu line , which opened in 2004 , and the introduction of locally made Sancheon trains in 2010 . In the early days of the KTX Gyeongbu line , there were some 80 malfunctions and errors . If that is the case , didn ’ t KORAIL learn from those incidents so that the latest service was launched smoothly ? KORAIL said it would work with the train manufacturer and the construction firms to resolve the problems at the earliest date . However , as the KTX operator , KORAIL should assume responsibility for allowing the service to be launched with malfunctions and errors that could have been prevented had it been paying close attention to safety issues . The new KTX Honam line cuts travel time between Seoul and Gwangju by 90 minutes . However , more important than arriving faster is arriving safely . [ 우리 아이 영어 글쓰기 , 어떻게 교육 하 나요 ] 	 더 많 은 기사 보 러 가 기 → [ 코리아 헤럴드 홈페이지 ] [ 트위터 ] [ 페이스북 ] 	 구독 신청 1588 - 0533 	 <ⓒ KoreaHerald ( www . koreaherald . com ) 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 >