Oh Se-hoon Visits National Assembly to Request Support for Free Subway Rides

Request to Seek Solutions Including Legal Amendments

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Mayor Oh Se-hoon requested that the National Assembly actively discuss the support for free subway rides (PSO) and seek solutions such as legal amendments.

On the 8th, Mayor Oh visited the National Assembly and consecutively met with Yoon Young-seok, Chairman of the Planning and Finance Committee (People Power Party), and Ryu Seong-geol (People Power Party) and Shin Dong-geun (Democratic Party of Korea), who serve as the ruling and opposition party secretaries of the Planning and Finance Committee.

On that day, Mayor Oh said, “The burden of free subway rides has reached a critical stage, and the deficit has been rapidly increasing because fares have not been raised for eight years, putting us in a burdensome situation.” He added, “To minimize the fare increase in line with the government’s policy to suppress public utility rate hikes as much as possible, government support for free rides is necessary, so I request cooperation at the National Assembly level, including the enactment of related laws.”

In response, Yoon Young-seok, Chairman of the Planning and Finance Committee, said, “We can no longer neglect the deficit problem caused by free subway rides.” He added, “We are considering various drastic measures, such as raising the age limit for free rides, and are discussing this with committee members.”

Additionally, Mayor Oh stated, “The issue of free subway rides is a deficit problem faced by six metropolitan cities nationwide, and there is a consensus that it should be resolved with government assistance without partisan disagreement. Therefore, I hope the government will help minimize the increase in transportation costs.”

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