"10-Minute Bathroom Break Offered" Free Re-Entry on Seoul Subway

Transfer Reboarding Within 10 Minutes at the Same Station Applied Starting July

Starting from the 1st of next month, even if passengers exit the subway turnstiles to use the restroom, they will not have to pay an additional fare as long as they re-enter within 10 minutes.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 28th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that from July 1st, a system will be implemented where transfers are applied and the basic fare is waived if passengers re-enter the subway within 10 minutes after exiting.

Until now, the number of passengers who mistakenly boarded the wrong train or exited the turnstiles to use the restroom and then re-boarded within 10 minutes, paying additional fares, reached 40,000 daily and 15 million annually within the metropolitan area.

Among them, 36%?or 14,523 people?paid additional fares after re-boarding within 1 minute, and it was found that the extra transportation costs paid by citizens amounted to approximately 18 billion KRW annually.

Along with this, as complaints such as "I paid extra because I got confused about the train direction and crossed to the opposite side, so please refund me" continued to be received, the Seoul Metropolitan Government decided to introduce this system through related meetings.

The 10-minute re-entry system will first be introduced on Lines 1 to 9 operated by Seoul Metro and Seoul Metro Line 9 Co., Ltd. The applicable sections by line are ▲ Line 1 (underground) Seoul Station to (underground) Cheongnyangni Station ▲ Line 3 Jichuk Station to Ogeum Station ▲ Line 4 Jinjeop Station to Namtaeryeong Station ▲ Line 6 Eungam Station to Bonghwasan Station ▲ Jangam Station to Onsu Station ▲ and the entire sections of Lines 2, 5, 8, and 9.

This applies only when re-entering at the same station (same line) where the passenger exited, and additional fares may be charged proportionally to the travel distance after applying the transfer. Also, it applies only once during subway use and only when using prepaid or postpaid transportation cards (excluding single-ride tickets and commuter passes).

Notice on Transfer Application for Reboarding within 10 Minutes after Subway Exit
[Photo by Seoul City]

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Transportation Office, stated, "The 10-minute re-entry system is a creative policy unique to Seoul that resolves inconveniences experienced by over 10 million citizens annually," adding, "We will continue to carefully address invisible inconveniences faced by citizens and improve and develop public transportation services."

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