Jeonjangeon Protest Resumes... Morning Commute Congestion on Lines 2 and 3

"Protest Will Be Held Daily at Gyeongbokgung Station"

Members of the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon) are staging a boarding protest on the Seoul Subway Line 3 at Gyeongbokgung Station on the 21st, urging the securing of the disability rights budget. Jeonjangyeon resumed the "Morning Subway Ride" protest from 7 a.m. that day, criticizing the lack of concrete implementation plans for the "Disability Rights Budget Guarantee" and the "Four Major Disability Livelihood Bills." Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

As disability rights groups resumed subway protests, commuters heading to work by subway experienced inconvenience on the morning of the 21st.

The National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon) resumed subway delay protests at Gyeongbokgung Station and City Hall Station in Seoul that morning. Park Kyung-seok, the representative of Jeonjangyeon, along with disability activists, boarded the subway and then got off their wheelchairs to perform an “Ochetuji” march, crawling on the train floor. Confusion occurred on Lines 2 and 3 starting around 7:40 a.m., when the protest began. Some commuters tried to get off the subway and transfer to buses, but even that was inconvenient due to the crowd. Subway boarding and alighting were delayed by more than 30 minutes because of the protest.

Seoul Metro issued a press release the day before, urging restraint in protests, stating that "if protests are held at Gyeongbokgung Station, City Hall Station, and Gwanghwamun Station, about 447,000 citizens will be affected." A Seoul Metro official said, "There are also costs incurred due to requests for refunds of subway fares from citizens and the deployment of additional trains."

Jeonjangyeon had temporarily suspended protests on the 30th of last month, stating they would wait for the incoming administration’s review of the disability rights budget, and continued with head-shaving protests. However, on the 19th, they judged the policies announced by the incoming administration ahead of Disability Day to be insufficient in guaranteeing disability rights, and resumed subway delay protests after 22 days. Jeonjangyeon is demanding that the incoming administration include items related to mobility rights and deinstitutionalization in the 2023 budget, and enact and amend the four major disability rights laws (Disability Rights Guarantee Act, Disability Deinstitutionalization Support Act, Disability Lifelong Education Act, and Disability Special Education Act).

Representative Park said, "The incoming administration ultimately did not provide an official response. Their briefing was nothing more than a parroted story repeated during the 20 years when the two major parties were in power." He added, "If Choo Kyung-ho, the nominee for Minister of Economy and Finance, does not promise a disability rights budget at the confirmation hearing on the 2nd of next month, we will hold protests daily at Gyeongbokgung Station."