The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 19th it will carry out the "2026 intensive safety inspection in the land and transport sector." The inspection period runs for two months from Apr. 20 to Jun. 19.
The intensive safety inspection is a system in which the central government, local governments, and the public together examine safety management conditions across society and identify and improve risk factors to prevent disasters and accidents in advance. It has been conducted annually since 2015 under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
This year's inspection targets roads, railways, aviation, logistics facilities, apartment complexes, buildings, and common utility tunnels, and about 700 sites were selected from among type 1 and type 2 facilities by considering risk level, aging, importance, and recent accident history. Specifically, a total of 711 sites will be inspected, including 457 road sites, 120 railway sites, and 64 building sites.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to deploy an inspection team of 1,323 people across seven sectors, including roads, railways, and aviation, led by First Vice Minister Kim Ei-tak as Director General. Thirteen agencies will participate, including regional land management offices, Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC), Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), and Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety (KALIS).
To enhance expertise and effectiveness, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) will staff external experts as core members of the inspection teams and use advanced equipment such as drones, tunnel scanners, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR).
Based on the inspection results, simple issues will be corrected on site immediately, and, if necessary, step-by-step follow-up measures such as emergency safety actions, repairs and reinforcement, and precise safety diagnoses will be pursued. Best practices and institutional improvement measures will also be identified based on the results.
Kim Ei-tak, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), said, "As the risk of accidents grows due to climate change and aging facilities, we will focus our capabilities on preventing disasters and accidents through preemptive inspections of vulnerable facilities," adding, "We will do our best to implement effective, field-centered safety measures."