Passengers Not Wearing Masks on Subway Can Be Reported via Mobile App

Seoul City Establishes Mask-Wearing Culture and Prevents Citizen Conflicts, Verbal Abuse, and Assault
Strict Measures Including Fines for Refusal to Follow Subway Security Guards' Instructions or Assault

On the first day of mandatory mask-wearing on public transportation, the station staff at Seoul Station is guiding a citizen to wear a mask on the 26th. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Despite the government's mandate to wear masks on public transportation to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), disputes and incidents of verbal abuse and assault related to this continue. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will enable passengers to report those not wearing masks via a mobile app.

Seoul announced on the 26th that starting from the 3rd of next month, it will add a reporting function to the 'Ttota Subway' app, allowing passengers to immediately report individuals not wearing masks on the subway.

When a passenger reports someone not wearing a mask, the location information will be confirmed, and subway security officers will promptly respond to ensure the passenger wears a mask. If the passenger does not have a mask, the security officer will guide them to disembark and purchase a mask from vending machines within the station before boarding again.

The city plans to respond strongly without leniency by imposing fines and other measures under Article 64 of the Enforcement Decree of the Railroad Safety Act if individuals refuse to comply with subway security officers' instructions or assault them. The fines are 250,000 KRW for the first violation, 500,000 KRW for the second, and 1,000,000 KRW for three or more violations.

According to the city, from May 13 to July 15, a total of 16,631 complaints related to mask non-compliance were received in the subway over two months. There were also five cases of verbal abuse or assault against station staff requesting mask-wearing. On buses, from May 26 to July 21, after the mask mandate was implemented, a total of 162 incidents occurred, averaging 3.2 cases per day, involving verbal abuse toward drivers or disputes among passengers.

The city expects that the newly introduced app reporting will make it easier for passengers, many of whom were reluctant to report mask non-compliance by phone on the spot, to file complaints.

The Ttota Subway app can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store. Users should select 'Mask Non-Compliance' under the complaint reporting category. For convenience, a shortcut number for reporting mask non-compliance has also been established for call center phone reports. For subway lines 1 to 8, call 1577-1234; for line 9, call 2656-0009; and for the Uisinseol Light Rail Transit, call 3499-5561.

Additionally, the city will conduct a large-scale campaign over the next month to raise awareness that subway and bus boarding will be restricted if masks are not worn. Promotional activities will be carried out at busy transfer stations and major bus stops, and 'Mandatory Mask Wearing' messages will be broadcast widely through video media such as subway stations, trains, bus TVs, and bus stop BITs.

Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of Urban Transportation at Seoul City, stated, "We will strictly enforce the law to prevent conflicts over mask non-compliance and reduce passenger anxiety. We ask citizens to actively participate in wearing masks and the citizen reporting system to protect public health and create a safe public transportation environment."