"Worried About Injuries? Man Wedges Umbrella in Closing Subway Doors... Train Driver's Response Draws Attention"

Viral Video of "Line 2 Villain" Sparks Outrage Online

Umbrella Wedged Between Closing Subway Doors

Netizens Criticize: "Extremely Dangerous"

The actions of a passenger who attempted to board a subway train by wedging an umbrella between the closing doors have sparked controversy online.

According to social networking services (SNS) on May 8, a video showing a man wedging a long umbrella between the closing train doors at Seolleung Station on Seoul Subway Line 2 has been widely circulated.

A video showing a man wedging a long umbrella between the closing train doors at Seolleung Station on Seoul Subway Line 2 is spreading widely, sparking controversy. SNS

The 1-minute-20-second video shows a male passenger, who appears to be middle-aged, pushing his umbrella into the gap as the train doors close. It seems he did this in an attempt to board when the doors reopened.

However, about a minute later, even when the doors reopened, they closed again immediately, and the man was unable to board. The man continued to wedge his umbrella between the doors, but as the doors shut quickly, he ultimately failed to get on the train.

As the train was delayed, other passengers gestured at the man to step back. When even the platform screen doors closed, the man eventually gave up trying to board.

The person who posted the video commented, "A troublemaker tried to board by jamming his umbrella in the door," and added, "After a standoff, the train operator handled the situation brilliantly."

Viewers of the video criticized the man, saying, "It's wrong to force your way in with an umbrella just to board," and, "It's better not to inconvenience others and just wait for the next train." Others pointed out, "If you shove an umbrella like that, what if someone gets hurt?" "During Line 2's evening rush hour, trains come every 2 to 3 minutes—why can't he wait?" and, "These kinds of actions are a major cause of cascading delays."

There was also praise for the train operator's response. Online commenters said, "The operator's quick thinking was impressive," and "You can see the operator was determined not to let him on."

One commenter, who identified as a current train operator, said, "If you kindly reopen the door, another passenger will rush in and wedge their umbrella or foot," and added, "On Line 2, the intervals between trains are short, but these passengers trying to board recklessly make the job extremely difficult."

In fact, accidents involving train doors during forced boarding attempts constitute a significant portion of subway safety incidents. According to Seoul Metro, out of a total of 2,387 subway accidents over the past five years, 956 were related to train doors, accounting for about 40% of the total.

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