Chairman Woo Hyeong-chan of the Transportation Committee: Seoul City's Reduction of Bus and Subway Services Is Truly Bad Administration

Criticism of 'Bad Administration' Driving Low-Income and Middle-Class Citizens into COVID-19 Crisis... Mayor Oh Se-hoon's 'Seoul-style Quarantine' Already Failed, Must Adhere to Government Guidelines

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Woo Hyung-chan, Chair of the Seoul Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee (Democratic Party, Yangcheon 3), pointed out that Seoul City's plan to reduce the number of bus and subway operations after 10 PM to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is a typical desk-bound administration that could actually increase the density of public transportation and thereby spread COVID-19. He strongly urged the city to faithfully follow government guidelines rather than pursue disruptive policies.

On the 7th, Seoul City announced in a press briefing that to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it plans to reduce bus operations by 20% starting on the 8th and subway operations by 20% starting on the 9th after 10 PM.

Since his inauguration, Mayor Oh Se-hoon advocated for the introduction of rapid COVID-19 test kits at the Cabinet meeting he attended, but the result ended in a disastrous failure. Moreover, out of 31 meetings of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters chaired by the Prime Minister since his inauguration, Mayor Oh attended only twice, raising controversy over his commitment and effectiveness in COVID-19 prevention.

Chairman Woo stated, “The Seoul-style coexistence quarantine promoted by Mayor Oh Se-hoon has effectively relaxed quarantine measures, undermining citizens' vigilance.” He added, “In particular, although the number of public transportation operations had already been reduced, some routes saw increased ridership and congestion, leading to the normalization of night operations for city buses and subways.”

Chairman Woo strongly criticized, “Reducing the number of public transportation operations, despite being a measure already confirmed as a failure, will increase congestion among public transportation users and expose citizens to greater COVID-19 risks.” He called it “a bad administration that doubly harms the working class and middle class, who already lack sufficient means to secure mobility.”

Transportation Committee Chair Woo Hyung-chan emphasized, “In this grave situation where the spread of COVID-19 is growing more than ever, public safety must be the top priority.” He stressed, “We will watch closely whether the seven quarantine measures announced by Mayor Oh Se-hoon this time are merely words or if they are implemented with genuine will to resolve the situation.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.