[Edaily Kang Gyeong-rok Travel Reporter] Over the past six years, eight people have lost their lives in serious accidents at domestic theme parks, with 75% of the fatalities being children aged 12 or younger. Notably, more than six out of every 10 serious accidents occurred less than six months after the facilities had passed safety inspections, leading to calls for a fundamental review of on-site safety management practices by the government and local authorities.

According to data titled “Status of Safety Accidents at Theme Parks,” submitted to Representative Jin Seon-mi of the Democratic Party of Korea—a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee—by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 27th, a total of 16 serious accidents occurred from 2021 through August of this year. Of these, seven were fatal (resulting in eight deaths), while six involved rescue operations due to ride shutdowns and three involved serious physical injuries, such as loss of consciousness.
In particular, casualties were concentrated among children. Six of the eight fatalities (75%) were children aged 12 or younger; by age, there was one 4-year-old, two 7-year-olds, and one each of 8-, 10-, and 11-year-olds. Fatal accidents have been rising sharply this year. While there were only 3 fatalities over the five-year period from 2021 through last year, 5 people have lost their lives in just 4 accidents through August of this year alone. Of the 5 fatalities this year, 4 occurred in accidents at water recreation facilities.
Questions are also being raised about the effectiveness of regular safety inspections. Of the 16 major accidents, 10—accounting for 62.5%—occurred within six months of the most recent safety inspection. Three accidents occurred within two months of an inspection, and all of these resulted in serious injuries, including fatalities or loss of consciousness. Facilities such as Incheon Sun Drop (35 days after inspection), Hadong Rail Bike in South Gyeongsang Province (37 days), and Chuncheon Castle in Gangwon Province (49 days) had all received “good” or “acceptable” ratings in their inspections immediately prior to the accidents.
By region, Gangwon had the highest number of incidents with four, followed by North Gyeongsang and Gyeonggi (three each), and Seoul, Incheon, Gwangju, South Gyeongsang, South Jeolla, and Jeju (one each).
Rep. Jin Seon-mi emphasized, “As the fall outing season approaches and a sharp increase in visitors—particularly children and families—is expected, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and local governments must take special precautions,” adding, “A comprehensive inspection is necessary to verify not only the appropriateness of the inspection criteria but also whether safety personnel were deployed in accordance with standards at the time of the accidents and whether on-site safety devices functioned properly.”