Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee has offered an apology to the nation for a derailed KTX bullet train in Gangwon Province.

The minister visited the site of the derailed train in Gangneung on Sunday morning and strongly criticized the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and the Korea Rail Network Authority.

Receiving a related report from officials, Minister Kim said that the public trust for KORAIL and the authority was irreparably damaged, vowing to sternly hold accountable those responsible for the accident.

KORAIL CEO Oh Young-sik briefed the minister that an error in the railroad switch system probably caused the derailing.

A Seoul-bound KTX with 198 passengers went off the tracks minutes after departing from Gangneung, about 240 kilometers east of Seoul early Saturday. A total of 15 passengers suffered minor injuries.