'Which Comes First, Humans or Noodles?' Bizarre Graffiti on Line 4... Seoul Metro Enforces Zero-Tolerance Policy

Illegal Graffiti Found in Four Train Cars on May 26
Corporation to Pursue Zero-Tolerance Policy Against Suspect

"Which comes first, nature or religion, humans?", "Is it noodles first?"

Recently, a number of indecipherable graffiti messages were discovered inside Seoul Subway Line 4 trains. After staff urgently checked the situation using onboard closed-circuit (CC) TV, it was determined that a man was responsible for the act. On June 9, Seoul Metro Corporation announced that it would pursue legal action, including filing a police report and seeking compensation from the man.

Employees are erasing illegal graffiti inside Line 4 trains. Seoul Metro Corporation

According to the corporation, at around 8:40 a.m. on May 26, a man boarded a Line 4 train at Daeyami Station. Around 9:00 a.m., the passenger got up from his seat and, over the course of about ten minutes, walked through four train cars, writing graffiti on the interior walls. He got off at Oido Station at around 9:10 a.m.

The illegal graffiti left by this man consisted of sentences such as "Which comes first, nature or religion, humans?" and "Is it noodles first?"?messages whose intent and meaning were unclear. The graffiti was only removed after the train arrived at the depot at around 3:50 p.m. and ten employees were dispatched. At around 10:50 a.m., an employee boarded the train, confirmed the situation, and reported it to the police. However, as on-site verification was needed, evidence collection and graffiti removal were carried out after the train entered the depot.

Employees are erasing illegal graffiti inside the Line 4 train. Seoul Metro Corporation

The corporation has decided to apply a zero-tolerance policy toward this man, who defaced four train cars with illegal graffiti, damaging the train's appearance and causing discomfort to passengers. In addition to actively cooperating with police requests, such as providing CCTV footage from the train, the corporation plans to take further action through proper legal procedures, including seeking compensation.

There have been two previous cases in the past two years of intentional train damage by passengers. In those cases, the corporation identified the responsible individuals and required them to pay for repairs. In March 2023, on Line 2, a passenger removed a train window and failed to return it, prompting the corporation to request a police investigation and ultimately locate the individual. In November last year, a passenger on Line 6 deliberately broke a train door window and was also required to pay for the repairs.

Park Byungseop, head of the Rolling Stock Division at Seoul Metro Corporation, stated, "Going forward, the corporation will continue to pursue a zero-tolerance policy and hold perpetrators legally accountable for any illegal acts in the subway that cause discomfort, including the intentional damage of trains, which are valuable public assets."

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