There is growing controversy regarding the adequacy of the school’s response to a cycling accident that resulted in the death of a student from Yeoncheon High School during training in Paju, with education authorities conducting audits and police launching investigations.
A tragic cycling accident involving an 18-year-old student from Yeoncheon High School has sparked widespread debate about the appropriateness of the school's decision to conduct outdoor training in freezing temperatures. The incident occurred on January 24, when the student, Shin Min-cheol, lost his balance while following a van during a cycling drill on a section of road with uneven surfaces, leading to a fatal collision with a central divider. Although CPR was administered, he could not be revived. The central issue now is whether it was wise to conduct outdoor training under such conditions, particularly given that prior to the incident, temperatures had plummeted to below -15 degrees Celsius for four consecutive days, contradicting the school's own regulations that prohibit outdoor activities when temperatures drop below that threshold for two days or more.
In response to the incident, the coach of the cycling team defended the decision to train outdoors, stating that the temperature on the day of the accident was between -5 and -6 degrees Celsius, which seemed acceptable. The coach asserted that he had checked the temperature and road conditions the day before the training and had even reached out to a parent of another student for confirmation about road safety, receiving a report that conditions were fine. Despite this reassurance, concerns have also been raised regarding the safety management during the training session, reflected in the cycling speed recorded on Shin's speed tracking device, which indicated a maximum speed of 88.8 km/h despite the road having a speed limit of 70 km/h.
Furthermore, questions are being raised about the approval process for the training session on the day of the accident. The family of the deceased student has called for accountability, pointing out that the designated physical education teacher was not officially on duty at the time of the training since he was scheduled to start work on March 1. Nonetheless, the family believes this teacher was involved in approving the event, thus complicating the responsibility dynamics surrounding the tragic incident and raising concerns for future safety protocols in school sports training.
