Lee Jae-myung Sits in 'Pregnant Women Priority Seat,' Gets Criticized and Stands Up... "Front Page News"

Photo by Lee Jae-myung, YouTube capture of the Democratic Party presidential candidate

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, who set out on a subway ride to explore public sentiment, accidentally sat in a seat reserved for pregnant women. After being pointed out by a citizen, he immediately stood up and gave an embarrassed smile.

On the 11th, Candidate Lee took the subway from Hyehwa Station on Line 4 to Hongik University Station on Line 2, conducting a surprise live broadcast titled "Into the Public Sentiment by Subway."

After departing from Hyehwa Station and arriving at Dongdaemun Station, he noticed an empty seat. The seat was reserved for pregnant women, but not realizing this, Candidate Lee said, "Ah, a seat has opened up, but it's almost time to get off," and sat down.

A citizen who saw this told him, "You shouldn't sit here," and Candidate Lee immediately stood up, belatedly realizing that the seat was reserved for pregnant women.

He laughed, saying, "Ah, I see. I was wondering why it was empty. What a critical mistake." Then the citizen next to him laughed along.

Photo by Lee Jae-myung, YouTube capture of the Democratic Party presidential candidate

Candidate Lee said, "If we get caught in places like this, it's a big deal. If a photo is taken, the headlines will say 'Doesn't even know the seats for the elderly' or 'Doesn't know the seats for pregnant women' and it'll be on the front page of the newspaper." Afterwards, Candidate Lee got off at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station and transferred to Line 2.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been operating seats reserved for pregnant women on the Seoul subway since December 2013, aiming to help address the low birthrate issue and establish a public transportation culture that considers pregnant women. These reserved seats are installed on all cars of Seoul Subway Lines 1 through 9, with two seats per 54-seat car designated as reserved for pregnant women.

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