The Board of Audit and Inspection said Friday that the state-run bullet train operator used flawed bullet trains on its Seoul-Sancheon route despite being aware of the risks.

The state auditory body also spotted sloppy maintenance of parts, repairs, human resources training and overall safety measures, which it said led to a spike in accidents.

“The number of high-speed train accidents soared by 116 percent a year after the Korea Railroad Corp. began its KTX-Sancheon operation,” the BAI said in its report.

The KTX-Sancheon is the first locally made high-speed train, developed by Hyundai Rotem, and runs at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

KORAIL purchased 20 of the trains in February 2010 and began commercial operation the next month, with full awareness of their 57 defects, the BAI said.

“It was a hasty decision to put domestically produced trains into operation, given the level of domestic technology and industrial environment,” it said.

Though the previous KTX trains manufactured by French companies took 200,000 kilometer-test drive for over five years, KTX-Sancheon’s domestic maker took only 6,000-12,000-kilometer drives for three years.

After KORAIL purchased 60 carriages from Hyundai Rotem, including the 20 KTX-Sancheon models, a total of 688 incidents had been reported as of July 2011.

About 31 cases were verified as due to lack of experience and technology on the side of the manufacturer.

A substantial number of accidents stemmed from the fact that most drivers were inexperienced, with 42 percent having put in less than three years, it said.

The BAI also noted that KORAIL had paid an excessive amount ― up to 32 times the normal price ― for cooling fans to Hyundai Rotem, suggesting possible irregularities.

KORAIL came under fire last year after the KTX-Sancheon trains malfunctioned three days in a row, causing a halt on railway traffic.

KORAIL demanded Hyundai Rotem compensate for ill-manufacturing of the products and reprimanded those responsible for maintenance.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)