"From Eye Discharge to Pus"... Jeonjangyeon 'Illegal Stickers' Cause Suffering for Cleaning Workers

"Uncomfortable Posture and Harsh Chemicals Unavoidable"
Sticky Residue Remains Even After Six Waxing Sessions Following Removal

At around 10 a.m. on the 27th, on the platform of Seoul Subway Line 4 at Samgakji Station heading towards Sookdaeipgu, the walking path walls from train doors 1-1 to 2-4 were covered with illegal stickers posted by the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon). From around 10:30 a.m., about 30 people including cleaning workers began removing them for 40 minutes, but the work was difficult. They sprayed sticker remover and pushed scrapers with all their strength, but it took about 10 minutes to remove just one sticker, making the process slow. Lee Seon-sook (58), who was struggling to remove the stickers, said, “Even after working for an hour, we can only remove about 5 to 6 stickers. They don’t come off easily and it’s very hard,” adding, “The remover chemicals are very strong, so even wearing masks and gloves, I worry it might not be good for our health.”

At around 10:40 a.m. on the 27th, at the Samgakji Station platform of Seoul Subway Line 4, an elderly cleaning worker is crouched down removing illegal stickers put up by Jeon Jang-yeon.
Photo by Choi Tae-won skking@

While Jeonjangyeon is conducting subway publicity campaigns and posting illegal materials inside stations, cleaning workers are suffering from heavy workloads.

Jeonjangyeon is posting illegal flyers inside subway stations to raise awareness of their demands, such as securing budgets for deinstitutionalization and enacting the Lifelong Education Act for Persons with Disabilities. Posting flyers without permission inside subway facilities is prohibited by the Railroad Safety Act and the Outdoor Advertising Act due to risks such as slip accidents.

According to Seoul Metro Corporation, since Jeonjangyeon began their subway publicity campaign, the corporation has repeatedly requested them not to post flyers. However, Jeonjangyeon reportedly insisted on continuing, saying, “If you remove the flyers, we will post twice as many and even paint over the walls.”

Gu Jong-seong, head of the corporation’s media office, said, “Currently, more than half of the subway cleaning workers are elderly, aged 60 or older. Removing stickers requires maintaining uncomfortable postures for long periods and inevitably using strong chemicals. The suffering of the cleaning staff is immense.”

There were cleaning workers who said they had to visit hospitals due to the harsh removal work. Kang said, “Many people have gone to the hospital because the sprayed chemicals got into their eyes. The chemicals are so strong that if they get in the eyes, it even causes discharge,” adding, “Even after removing the stickers, the walls quickly get dirty again, and we don’t know when this will end. We are getting exhausted.” Another cleaning worker nearby, hearing Kang’s complaints, added, “The smell of the chemicals gives me headaches, and from my wrists to my back, there’s no part that doesn’t hurt. My wrists ache every night, making it hard to sleep.”

Around 10 a.m. on the 27th, the platform of Samgakji Station on Seoul Subway Line 4. The corridor walls are covered with illegal stickers posted by Jeonjangyeon.
Photo by Taewon Choi skking@

There are also claims that the use of stickers with strong adhesives shows malicious intent. Lee Young-sook, team leader managing the cleaning workers (65), said, “Ordinary stickers are not this hard to remove. These are like ‘zombie stickers.’ Even after scraping dozens of times, the stickiness doesn’t go away,” adding, “It doesn’t seem like they are just trying to spread their demands widely. It looks like there is a lot of malicious intent.”

The corporation also stated that despite the heavy workload of cleaning workers, removing illegal materials is difficult, and they are considering using professional companies. Gu Ki-jung, manager of Samgakji Station, said, “After removing illegal materials stuck on the floor on the 13th, we waxed the floor six times, but stickiness still remains.” He added, “Even after finishing the morning work, we have removed less than 10% of the stickers on the walls. We tried to handle it ourselves, but it’s impossible. We will probably have to call a professional cleaning company.” According to Seoul Metro Corporation, hiring a professional company to remove stickers once costs about 3.5 million won.

Meanwhile, the corporation said it is also considering claiming damages from Jeonjangyeon for the cost of removing illegal materials. The corporation estimates that about 20 to 30 people, including cleaning workers and subway security guards, are mobilized for sticker removal, and the cost of purchasing chemicals can reach several million won. Lee Tae-rim, head of the sales planning department at Seoul Metro Corporation, said, “Citizens are greatly inconvenienced by the illegal materials, and especially the cleaning workers responsible for station environments are suffering greatly,” adding, “We will consider demanding compensation from Jeonjangyeon for damages caused by illegal acts in the future.”

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