"Don't Move Aside" vs "Secure the Law"... Conflict Ignites Over Subway Seats for Pregnant Women

"Commuting While Pregnant... Pregnant Women Cannot Sit Comfortably in Reserved Seats"

Priority seat for pregnant women in the subway. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Recently, a man posted a message expressing pride after sitting in a subway seat reserved for pregnant women and refusing to give up his seat, sparking public outrage. In response, a petition has been raised demanding that seats for pregnant women be legally secured.

On the 24th, a petition titled "Please legally secure subway seats for pregnant women" was posted on the Blue House National Petition site. A petitioner identified as A, who introduced herself as a "pregnant woman who conceived through IVF after advanced maternal age," said, "Of course, it would be nice if these seats were voluntarily offered as a courtesy, but there are many cases where non-pregnant people sit in seats reserved for pregnant women. You can't ask them to move, and they have no intention of doing so."

She continued, "Especially as society ages, senior seats are always full, and it is common for people to use the seats reserved for pregnant women if they are empty. Commuting while pregnant, I truly feel the harsh reality that it is difficult to comfortably sit in a seat for pregnant women and safely give birth to even one child."

A added, "I understand that in countries like Taiwan, non-pregnant individuals who sit in pregnant women’s seats are fined. I think distributing automatic badges for pregnant women, which allow only badge holders to sit in these seats, could be a way to avoid conflicts with other subway passengers."

Finally, she appealed, "Even those who are not currently pregnant may have a pregnant family member or may become pregnant in the future. Please think of this as a reality your own family might face and help ensure that subway seats for pregnant women are legally secured."

◆ "Won't give up seat, XXX get lost... Man proudly posts photo sitting in pregnant women’s seat"

Photo by Online Community Capture

Earlier, on the 21st, a post titled "What I was really proud of today" was uploaded on an online community. The author, B, shared a photo along with the profanity "Won't give up, XXX get lost."

The photo showed B’s legs sitting in a crowded subway’s pregnant women’s seat, with a woman standing right in front wearing a pregnant women’s badge on her bag.

Many netizens reacted negatively to B, saying things like, "You can sit there, but if there’s a pregnant woman, shouldn’t you give up your seat?", "It’s not something to proudly post online with curses," and "How stressed must someone be to not even have the compassion to help?"

◆ "Why demand consideration for the result of your own sexual activity?"... Post on Seoul National University Bamboo Forest

Photo by Online Community Capture

Meanwhile, on the 18th, a post appeared on the online community "Seoul National University Bamboo Forest" urging people not to force consideration for pregnant women.

The author, C, wrote, "I was on my way to an academy on a weekend morning. There were many empty seats on the subway, and I sat in a corner seat reserved for pregnant women because it was comfortable. Suddenly, someone asked, 'Are you a woman?' and 'You’re not even a woman, why are you sitting here?' I was so taken aback that I responded, 'This is a courtesy seat, not a designated seat. Why are you speaking informally to a stranger?'"

C continued, "What I still don’t understand is why others have to suffer or be forced to show consideration because of the consequences of someone else’s sexual activity (a child). This includes the crying of newborns on planes, in theaters, and so on."

He criticized, "Before insulting others for not showing consideration, it’s extreme selfishness to expect the whole world to unconditionally bless and accommodate the consequences of your sexual activity and to bring that expectation into shared public spaces."

C added, "Whenever I express this view, people ask, 'Would you feel the same if you had a child?' But I have no intention of having children, and even if I did, I would consider terminating the pregnancy, so this simply does not apply to me."