"Believe it"... The phrase heard on the subway is decreasing

From Announcement Broadcasts to Departure Refusals, Response Capabilities Enhanced

Authorities are increasingly strengthening crackdowns to prevent proselytizing or sales activities inside Seoul subway trains. Until now, most measures have been limited to broadcasting announcements discouraging such behavior, but recently, train operators have begun refusing to depart until those involved disembark.

A security officer patrolling inside the train. The photo is not directly related to the content of the article. [Image source=Seoul Metro]

On the 4th, Korail and Seoul Metro announced that they would strictly limit activities causing inconvenience to passengers. In fact, the previous morning on the southbound section of Seoul Subway Line 1, a train stopped at a station and did not depart. When passengers expressed confusion, an announcement was made saying, "Those proselytizing inside the train, please get off immediately." The train remained stationary, and shortly after, another announcement stated, "Please get off immediately. If you do not get off, the train will not depart." Passengers looked around to identify the person conducting the proselytizing, and after a short while, the train departed.

According to Article 48 of the Railroad Safety Act and Article 85 of its Enforcement Regulations, requesting donations, selling or distributing goods, or giving speeches or solicitations without permission from railroad personnel is prohibited within station facilities. Seoul Metro’s Passenger Transport Terms and Conditions (Article 6) also prohibit operating unmanned aerial devices or items that may harm others, as well as toys inside stations or trains (wheelchairs and strollers are exceptions). However, it has been difficult to enforce penalties for such activities due to the nature of the subway environment, which makes immediate response challenging. Now, however, train operators have the discretion to stop train operations and take other measures.

Additionally, Korail and Seoul Metro accept passenger complaints via phone or smartphone apps and relay relevant information to train operators or conductors, enabling on-site action. They can decide the level of response at their discretion. This ranges from broadcasting announcements to encourage disembarkation to, in severe cases with multiple complaints, station staff or security personnel entering the train to guide offenders off. In particular, Korail and Seoul Metro, which operate the Seoul subway, have shown a strong commitment to eradicating proselytizing and sales activities inside trains, even if it requires measures such as stopping the train.

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