"Boarding the Subway Barefoot in a Water Bomb... The Extreme Commute of K-Office Workers"

Flooding at Seryu Station Platform... Electric Trains Pass Without Stopping During Some Morning Hours

The scene of Seryu Station on Subway Line 1 flooded due to heavy rain on the 30th. Passengers are crossing the road barefoot. Photo by Twitter capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Wooseok] On the 30th, heavy rain warnings were issued for Seoul and the metropolitan area, and amid the downpour, the sight of office workers braving the floodwaters on their way to work has become a hot topic.

On this day, posts and photos related to office workers' commute were shared online. In particular, at Seryu Station on Subway Line 1, the underground passage leading to the platform was flooded, and passengers were reported to have walked barefoot and sockless. It was confirmed that muddy water in the underground passage reached above people's ankles.

Subsequently, Seryu Station was flooded up to the platform, causing trains to pass through the station without stopping for some time in the morning.

Netizens expressed self-deprecating remarks, saying it revealed the hardships of K-office workers (Korean office workers). Netizen A said, "My commute today was literally a jungle. Even though I just got to work, it already feels like I've done a day's work and I want to leave."

Netizen B responded, "It's both funny and sad to commute barefoot through the water. This seems to happen every year, and I wonder if there are any preventive measures."

People crossing a waterway that reached up to their waists in the 1990s. Photo by Twitter capture

Videos capturing K-office workers' commutes during the monsoon season in the past have also gained renewed attention. The videos show office workers in the 1990s walking in a line with umbrellas on roads flooded up to their waists.

Meanwhile, the heavy rain is expected to continue until tomorrow morning. The Korea Meteorological Administration held an unscheduled briefing on the 30th and forecasted that as the stationary front moves north from the afternoon of the day until the 1st, some areas in the metropolitan region will receive over 150mm of rain.