[Report] "Sorry, but we must do this"... 'Abigyuhwan' Subway Boarding Protest on the Chaotic Morning Commute

Park Kyung-seok, former co-representative of Jeonjangyeon, held a press conference at the Gyeongbokgung Station platform on Subway Line 3 and stated, "If Chu Kyung-ho, the nominee for Deputy Prime Minister of Economy, promises to make a statement regarding the budget for disability rights, I will trust that promise and stop the 'taking the subway on the way to work' protest until the day of the statement." Photo by Kang Woo-seok beedolll97@

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Woo-seok] "How long will this continue on the way to work?" "We are sorry. But we have no choice but to do this."

On the morning of the 21st, the scene of the 'commute subway boarding protest' resumed by the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon) was truly chaotic. Amid the deployment of police and subway safety personnel, there were several clashes, both large and small, between police, subway passengers, and Jeonjangyeon members during the protest.

Jeonjangyeon simultaneously held the '27th Commute Subway Boarding Protest' at three locations at 7 a.m. on the 21st: Gyeongbokgung Station on Seoul Subway Line 3, City Hall Station on Line 2, and Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5. In a statement released on the 20th, Jeonjangyeon said, "The disability policies briefed by the Presidential Transition Committee today were not only far from abolishing discrimination against people with disabilities but were also too abstract and detached to guarantee the basic civil rights that people with disabilities have been demanding for 21 years." They resumed the commute subway boarding protest 22 days after temporarily suspending it on the 30th of last month.

On the 21st, the scene of the 'Subway Boarding Protest on the Way to Work' by the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. Park Kyung-seok, the executive representative, is preparing for the protest before it begins. Photo by Kang Woo-seok beedolll97@

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Jeonjangyeon began the commute subway protests in December last year, demanding a rights budget to guarantee the basic rights of people with disabilities. On March 29, the Presidential Transition Committee visited the protest site and held talks with Jeonjangyeon. Jeonjangyeon then temporarily suspended the subway protests and began a head-shaving protest, stating they would wait until April 20 for the committee's response regarding the guarantee of the disability rights budget. However, after the committee's briefing on disability policies on the 20th, Jeonjangyeon announced the resumption of subway protests, claiming that the briefing did not properly reflect their demands, including the disability rights budget necessary for deinstitutionalization and concrete plans to guarantee mobility rights.

Park Kyung-seok, co-executive director of Jeonjangyeon, held a press conference at the Gyeongbokgung Station platform on Line 3 and apologized to commuters, saying, "We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to commuters." He explained, "The reason we have no choice but to ride the subway again is that the constitutional spirit of equality before the law has not been upheld."

He expressed regret, saying, "The Transition Committee's briefing was nothing more than a parroted repetition of what the two major parties have said during their 20 years in power." He added, "If Deputy Prime Minister-designate Choo Kyung-ho promises to announce his position on the disability rights budget, we will trust that promise and stop the 'commute subway boarding' protest until the announcement day."

Park emphasized, "If that promise is not made, we will inevitably continue the 'commute subway boarding' protest daily at Gyeongbokgung Station until we receive a response," and "We will also continue the head-shaving protest daily until the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol government on May 10."

On the 21st, the Jeonjangyeon’s 'commute subway boarding protest' is taking place on the platform of Gyeongbokgung Station on Seoul Subway Line 3. Photo by Kang Wooseok beedolll97@

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The subway boarding protest began around 7:25 a.m., shortly after the press conference. Jeonjangyeon members lined up and boarded the subway, and some members, including Director Park, got off their wheelchairs and performed 'Ochetuji'?a traditional form of prostration?crawling on the train floor.

Verbal abuse and physical scuffles broke out between the police and members. The police urged the protesters to stop, stating that the protest was a clear illegal act violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act, while the members raised their voices, accusing the police of deliberately obstructing the boarding protest. During this process, clashes involving physical force occurred, causing some individuals to fall on the platform.

The police continuously recorded the protest scene with cameras for evidence collection, which led some members to raise their voices, asking, "Why are you filming me?" and "Do you have the right to film?"

On the 21st, members of Jeonjangyeon are holding an "Ochet-uji" protest at Gyeongbokgung Station on Seoul Subway Line 3. Photo by Kang Wooseok beedolll97@

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As the subway operation was delayed by more than 30 minutes, some passengers sighed or got off the subway. Some passengers protested to the protesting members, saying, "Why are you doing this on the way to work?" "You shouldn't do illegal things," and "My time is important and valuable too." A man in his 50s, Mr. A, who was on Line 3 that day, lamented, "The more you disrupt the commute like this, the worse public opinion about people with disabilities will get. I don't know how many minutes this has been going on. My time is important too, so I don't understand why you are causing this disruption."

In response, the members appealed, "We are truly sorry, but we have reasons why we must do this," and "Please try to understand our position."

The operation of Line 3 subway normalized around 8:50 a.m. when Jeonjangyeon members began the '16th National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination Head-Shaving Protest Resolution Ceremony to Urge the Transition Committee's Response on the Disability Rights Budget.' The ceremony was attended not only by Jeonjangyeon members but also by Shin Ji-hye, co-executive director of the Basic Income Party, and Kim Jae-yeon, leader of the Progressive Party, who also spoke. During the public speeches, a citizen who opposed the protest spat at the head-shaving site and shouted criticisms of the protest.

Members of Jeonjangyeon began the "16th National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities Shaving Protest Resolution Ceremony to Urge the Transition Committee's Response to the Disability Rights Budget" around 8:50 a.m. on the 21st. Photo by Kang Wooseok beedolll97@

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The protest concluded around 10 a.m. with a 'Resolution Rally to Urge the Support Law for Deinstitutionalization of People with Disabilities' held at the National Palace Museum opposite the Transition Committee office.

Meanwhile, the Transition Committee expressed regret over Jeonjangyeon's resumption of the 'commute subway boarding protest.' Shin Yong-hyun, spokesperson for the Transition Committee, stated on the 20th, "We are currently the Transition Committee, so there are things we can do," but explained, "Deciding on or allocating budgets is the responsibility of the new government, so there are areas beyond our scope." He added, "We understand the basic intent to create a life where people with and without disabilities can live together, and we are making efforts to gather various opinions from people with disabilities to accept as many as possible and create national tasks that can be faithfully implemented."

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