"Eoreushin Geonganghaseyo" Subway Announcement Backlash... Elderly Angered by "Bragging About Freebies"

Controversy Over Seoul and Daegu Subway Turnstile Voice Announcements
Intended to Prevent Fare Evasion Using Senior Discount Cards
"Bragging About Riding Free?" Complaints... Plan to Change Phrases Underway

The announcement voice that plays when passengers aged 65 and over pass through the subway turnstile has become controversial. This is due to complaints that the phrase "Eoreusin, stay healthy" (meaning "Elderly, stay healthy") is "offensive."

Daegu Metro decided to stop using the announcement containing this phrase five days after it was played on the 11th of last month. Daegu Transportation Corporation stated, "We judged that implementing it despite causing discomfort to the elderly does not align with the original purpose."

Subway turnstile. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Earlier, Seoul Metro introduced a ‘Senior Citizen Priority Passenger Announcement’ in June. This measure was to prevent fraudulent rides where family members other than seniors aged 65 and over reuse senior discount cards. It was initially piloted for about three months at 10 stations including Gangnam Station and Gwanghwamun Station, with plans to expand to all subway stations.

However, some passengers reportedly reacted negatively, saying things like "Are they stigmatizing seniors?" and "Are they showing off for giving free rides?" As a result, 20 days after the pilot started, the word "Eoreusin" (elderly) was removed and the phrase was changed to "Stay healthy."

Nonetheless, Seoul Metro stated, "After introducing the announcement, fraudulent rides decreased by more than 50%," and added, "We recently conducted surveys among citizens to revise the announcement. We plan to select and use a phrase that does not cause discomfort after reviewing the results."

Meanwhile, the basic fare for Seoul subway was raised by 150 won to 1,400 won starting from the 7th. Due to a deficit of 1.2 trillion won last year caused by free rides for seniors aged 65 and over, Seoul City implemented the fare increase. Other local governments have either confirmed or are considering public transportation fare hikes.

According to Seoul Metro, if the age for free rides for seniors on Seoul subway is raised from 65 to 70, the annual loss is estimated to decrease by up to 152.4 billion won.

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