Lee Jae-myung: "Chronic Deficit of Seoul Subway... The Root Cause Is the State Shifting Transportation Welfare Burden"

"Government and National Assembly Must Find Reasonable Measures for National Subsidy to Public Service Costs"

Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential primary candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, pointed out that the fundamental cause of Seoul Transportation Corporation's financial difficulties is "the government’s transportation welfare costs, such as free rides, being fully imposed on the operating agency."

On the afternoon of the 13th, ahead of the labor strike by the Seoul Transportation Corporation’s labor union for subway lines 1 to 8, Lee posted on his Facebook under the title "I ask for patience and dialogue to find a way to resolve the issue."

Lee said, "The Seoul Transportation Corporation Labor Union has announced a strike starting on the 14th. Other urban railway unions nationwide are also preparing for solidarity strikes or protests in Seoul," adding, "There is growing concern that labor-management and labor-government conflicts may continue ahead of Chuseok, potentially paralyzing citizens’ transportation."

He continued, "The chronic deficit and the severe financial crisis faced by urban railway agencies due to the impact of COVID-19, combined with Seoul City’s announcement of cost-cutting measures through large-scale workforce reductions, are understood to be the triggers of the labor-management conflict," and explained, "Of course, it cannot be overlooked that the fundamental cause of the financial deterioration is the government’s transportation welfare costs, such as free rides, being fully imposed on the operating agency."

Regarding the labor union’s demand for national government subsidies to cover public service costs, Lee said, "It is appropriate for the government and the National Assembly to listen carefully and find reasonable solutions," and added, "Considering the fairness with KORAIL, which receives compensation for free ride losses, the union’s claim has merit."

Furthermore, while emphasizing that labor rights must be respected, Lee stressed, "It is a time when a thoughtful attitude that also considers public safety is necessary," and urged, "If there is sincere dialogue, there is definitely a way to resolve the problem."

Meanwhile, after starting the final negotiations at 3 p.m. on the 13th and repeatedly adjourning and resuming, the labor-management negotiations of Seoul Transportation Corporation were dramatically concluded around 11:40 p.m., leading to the withdrawal of the strike. In the final negotiations, the labor and management agreed that there would be no forced restructuring due to the financial crisis regarding the key issue of restructuring, and that a joint labor-management consultative body would be formed to promote safety enhancement and business normalization measures.

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