SR, the operator of the SRT high-speed rail service, has produced Korea's youngest female high-speed rail captain.
SR held an appointment ceremony for the first female SRT captain at its headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday, presenting epaulettes and a commemorative plaque to SRT Captain Kim Min-seul. SR introduced Kim as Korea's youngest female high-speed rail captain and the company's first female captain.
Kim, who earned the title of the company's first female captain, said, "I am happy and honored, but at the same time I feel a great sense of responsibility." She added, "Going forward, I will learn a great deal from my instructor captain and many senior colleagues to become a captain who always puts passenger safety first."
Born in 1996, Kim is the only woman among SR's 215 train captains. She was assigned as a captain at the Busan Crew Center on Monday and completed five days of theoretical training, and starting Wednesday she will undergo five weeks of practical training on trains in actual service. After completing the practical training, she is scheduled to begin full-scale high-speed train duty.
Kim obtained a Class 2 electric railcar driver's license in 2019 and began train service as an Airport Railroad engineer in 2021. She joined SR through experienced-hire recruitment in December 2024 and served as an SRT cabin manager for one year and four months. Since February this year, she went through the captain training program and obtained her high-speed rail vehicle driver's license in May.
Jung Wang-guk, CEO of SR, said, "It is all the more meaningful that our first female captain has emerged this year, which marks the 10th anniversary of SRT's launch." He added, "I hope Captain Kim will take pride in being Korea's youngest female high-speed rail captain and serve as a model for railway development through the safe operation of high-speed trains."
