Jeonjangeon resumes 'subway boarding protest' at City Hall Station... Train operations delayed by about 10 minutes

Over 70 Jeonjangyeon Members
Attempt to Board Train at City Hall Station on Line 2

The National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon) resumed subway boarding protests at City Hall Station on Seoul Subway Line 2 on the 11th, causing train delays and inconvenience to citizens. Although sporadic boarding protests have continued since January, this is the first time in eight months that Jeonjangyeon has officially resumed boarding protests at an organizational level.

On the 11th, the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon) held a subway boarding protest during the morning commute at City Hall Station on Seoul Subway Line 2, demanding the guarantee of budgets for the rights of persons with disabilities. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

On the morning of the same day, around 8:30 a.m., Jeonjangyeon held a press conference on both sides of the Line 2 platform at City Hall Station titled "2024 Disability Rights Budget Victory and the 52nd Morning Subway Ride Protest Denouncing Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's Hate Politics." Jeonjangyeon stated, "We have been waiting while urging President Yoon Seok-yeol and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to take responsibility, but Mayor Oh has labeled Jeonjangyeon as a violence-promoting group since July and started divisive hate politics, which led us to resume the protests."

After the press conference, about 70 Jeonjangyeon members attempted to board the outer circle train bound for Hongdae Entrance at City Hall Station, but around 100 personnel, including police officers deployed on site and Seoul Metro security guards, blocked them. During this process, physical clashes occurred between Jeonjangyeon members and the police. The police took measures such as securing separate passageways to minimize passenger inconvenience and facilitate the movement and boarding of other passengers; however, trains were delayed by 10 to 15 minutes, causing inconvenience to some commuters. A 29-year-old woman named Ahn said, "I didn't know there was a protest and almost ended up late starting Monday. I think causing this much inconvenience during rush hour is really not right."

The police allowed Jeonjangyeon to board the subway around 9:05 a.m., about 30 minutes after their boarding attempt. Even after boarding, scuffles broke out in various places with slogans like "Police get off" as police officers and Jeonjangyeon members rode together. Jeonjangyeon plans to continue the Monday morning boarding protests for the time being. Park Kyung-seo, Jeonjangyeon's representative, said, "We will maintain the protest until the Yoon Seok-yeol government, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and related parties come to the negotiation table."

In response to Jeonjangyeon's resumption of protests, the police and Seoul city government announced a firm stance. A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official said, "We will guarantee lawful assemblies but will take measures to minimize inconvenience to subway users," adding, "If violent acts occur, we will respond firmly, including arresting offenders on the spot." A Seoul city official said, "We will cooperate with Seoul Metro to provide sufficient personnel for Jeonjangyeon's boarding protests and respond to minimize operational delays," and added, "We will take strict action against illegal acts causing inconvenience to citizens."

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