Jeonjangyeon Continues Protest Despite Seoul City's No-Stop Policy... Trains Operating Normally

No-Stop Train Policy from Morning Commute on the 13th
No No-Stop Trains Due to Insignificant Delays

Members of the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon) held the 47th "Taking the Subway on the Way to Work" publicity campaign at Samgakji Station on Line 4 in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, starting from 8 a.m. on the 13th. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that trains would pass through stations without stopping if delays occurred due to Jeonjangyeon protests during the morning commute, but no trains passed without stopping on this day. Photo by Byungdon Yoo tamond@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] “We earnestly ask that the basic rights of persons with disabilities not be evaded.”

The “National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon)” began its 47th “Taking the Subway on the Way to Work” publicity campaign at 8 a.m. on the 13th at Samgakji Station on Seoul Subway Lines 4 and 6.

On this day, Park Kyung-seok, the representative of Jeonjangyeon, said, “Persons with disabilities have not been able to board trains that only guarantee the rights of non-disabled people,” adding, “It is basically the same as having passed by without stopping until now.” He continued, “The Seoul Metropolitan Government must first acknowledge and apologize for discriminating against persons with disabilities by failing to guarantee their basic rights according to laws and principles,” and argued, “The correct follow-up measure is to guarantee the rights specified in the Disability Act through budgeting so that persons with disabilities can move without discrimination.”

Immediately after the approximately 18-minute press conference, Representative Park and members of Jeonjangyeon conducted the subway boarding publicity campaign during the morning commute. Although the Seoul Metropolitan Government decided that if train delays caused by Jeonjangyeon’s protests inside subway stations become severe, the affected stations would be passed without stopping starting from this day, no trains passed without stopping at Samgakji Station on this day. Jeonjangyeon began the boarding protest around 8:20 a.m. and boarded the subway around 8:25 a.m. to move to the next station.

Jeonjangyeon continued its publicity campaign inside trains traveling between Samgakji Station, Seoul Station, and Sadang Station. However, Jeonjangyeon did not intentionally cause train delays by repeatedly boarding and alighting. A Seoul Metro official said, “We are monitoring train operations,” and added, “There have been no serious delays so far.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the Seoul Metropolitan Government made the decision to pass stations without stopping based on Article 62 of the Transportation Corporation’s Control Operations Regulations and Article 37 of the Business Office and Station Operations Regulations. The train controller and station master may, in consultation with each other or by reporting to the comprehensive control center, decide to pass a station without stopping if passenger safety is at risk due to passenger overcrowding, disturbances, or unusual situations. It is interpreted that Jeonjangyeon’s protests were judged to fall under disturbances or unusual situations.

A Seoul city official responded to concerns that passing stations without stopping could cause inconvenience to commuters by saying, “We considered passing without stopping because the damage caused by train delays and confusion due to the protests is greater,” and added, “We will implement measures to reduce citizen inconvenience concurrently.”

Meanwhile, the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station recently sent 11 Jeonjangyeon officials to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office without detention on charges including obstruction of business, interference with train traffic, and violation of the Road Traffic Act. They are accused of delaying subway operations during the morning commute and occupying roads to demand securing budgets for disability rights and guaranteeing mobility rights. Jeonjangyeon has been conducting the “Taking the Subway on the Way to Work” protests since December last year. Additionally, in May, they occupied roads near the Yongsan Presidential Office during a march.

Seoul Metro filed complaints for obstruction of business and other charges against Representative Park and other Jeonjangyeon officials, accusing them of disrupting subway operations six times from January to November last year. However, Representative Park and Lee Hyung-sook, chairperson of the Seoul Disabled Independent Living Center Council, who have refused police investigations, were not included among those sent to the prosecutors’ office.

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