"Why the Controversy Over Seoul City's Unlimited Public Transit Card Being 'Half-Baked' for Gyeonggi and Incheon?"

"Capital Area Shared Living Zone... Need to Discuss Together"
Oh Se-hoon "Incheon and Gyeonggi Will Take Time, Start with Seoul"

The Seoul Climate Card, which allows unlimited use of Seoul subway, city and village buses, and public bicycles for 65,000 won per month, has become a subject of controversy. The main point of contention is that the usage is restricted to Seoul, disregarding the convenience of commuters from Gyeonggi and Incheon.

On the 11th, Seoul City announced that it will pilot the Climate Card, an unlimited public transportation monthly pass, from January to May next year and will implement it fully in the second half of next year after improvements. The purpose is to reduce transportation costs for low-income citizens and to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

By paying 65,000 won and purchasing the card, users can use all public transportation within the Seoul area for a month without limits, including subways, city and village buses, and the public bicycle system, Ttareungi. It can be used on all Seoul subway lines except the Shinbundang Line, which has a different base fare, including Lines 1 to 9, Gyeongui-Jungang Line, Bundang Line, Gyeongchun Line, Ui-Sinseol Line, and Sillim Line.

The controversy arises because the usage is limited to Seoul. Since it cannot be used when boarding outside Seoul, citizens commuting to Seoul from Gyeonggi and Incheon cannot use it.

Gyeonggi and Incheon have expressed regret, saying Seoul’s project is unilateral. They argue that transportation issues in the metropolitan area, which is a shared living zone, should be addressed jointly by Incheon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi, and that joint responses are more effective in terms of household burden and climate crisis response. Accordingly, Incheon City and Gyeonggi Province insist that a working-level consultative body involving the three local governments should be formed to discuss implementation plans.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is briefing at the press conference for the introduction and implementation of the Climate Companion Card held at the Seoul City Hall briefing room on the morning of the 11th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Sim Sang-jung, a Justice Party lawmaker representing Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province, emphasized that the three local governments should come together to present an integrated metropolitan public transportation support plan.

On the 12th, Sim criticized on Facebook, "There are many criticisms that the Climate Card was prepared unilaterally and hastily for Mayor Oh’s presidential race," adding, "Mayor Oh should painfully accept the criticism that Seoul’s Climate Card is a half-baked fare system trapped in Seoul’s administrative selfishness, ultimately failing to accompany metropolitan citizens."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s position is that the project should start in Seoul and gradually expand. Since it would take a long time to complete discussions with Incheon and Gyeonggi, he suggests starting with Seoul and observing the effects.

According to Mayor Oh, Incheon can participate in the pilot project starting January next year because it operates a bus quasi-public system similar to Seoul’s. On the other hand, Gyeonggi, which does not have a quasi-public system, seems unlikely to join from the pilot phase.

In an interview with CBS Radio’s 'Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show' on the 13th, Mayor Oh said, "Incheon operates a quasi-public bus system similar to Seoul’s, so if there is a decision, there should be no major problems," adding, "Gyeonggi’s structure is different; it does not have a bus quasi-public system. Negotiations with about 200 companies are needed, so it may take a long time."

Regarding concerns that the project overlaps with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s 'K-Pass project,' he responded, "There is no reason to avoid healthy policy competition."

Mayor Oh said, "Smart consumers calculate their consumption patterns, so for them, it will be a pleasant choice," and added, "I don’t understand why it is described as a conflict."

'K-Pass' is a policy that refunds 20-53% of transportation costs to people who use the subway and bus more than 21 times a month, and it will be implemented from July next year.

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