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KTX runs from Seoul to Changwon with fabric covering broken panel

Published: 08 Dec. 2025, 19:21

Tape and a torn piece of fabric cover a broken exterior window on KTX 215 bound for Masan Station in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, from Seoul on Dec. 8. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A KTX-Sancheon train ran from Seoul to Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on Monday with a broken panel temporarily covered with tape and fabric while operating at standard high-speed rail conditions.

A passenger who said they took KTX 215 sent the JoongAng Ilbo a photo they took on the train at 4:18 p.m. on Monday and noted that the damaged section was in car No. 3, a first-class cabin. The panel had partially torn during the trip.

The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) said the damage occurred earlier in the day while the train was heading from Pohang, North Gyeongsang, to Seoul. The operator said a piece of gravel struck the frame between two windows and cracked a dummy panel, prompting staff to apply tape and fabric as a temporary measure. The patch tore during high-speed operation and the train arrived at Seoul Station in central Seoul with the covering largely shredded.

Korail reapplied a temporary covering at Seoul Station before the train departed again for Masan Station in Changwon.

"Gravel strikes increase in winter when trains run at high speeds and loose stones on the tracks bounce upward," a Korail representative said. “The damaged section has an aluminum layer behind it, so the incident did not affect operational safety."

The official added that the train will undergo repairs at Korail’s Goyang maintenance depot after it returns from Changwon. KTX-Sancheon trains use five-layer windows and KTX-1 trains use four-layer windows, which provide impact resistance during high-speed operation.

Gravel regularly damages window panels and exterior sections of trains during winter, and operators view it as a recurring maintenance issue. The temporary covering drew attention because it involved tape and fabric on a high-speed train.

A Korail spokesperson said the company will review ways to make temporary repairs “more secure and more visually acceptable.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KANG KAP-SAENG [[email protected]]