"Seoul Metro Commutes Congestion Response... Why Is It Like This?"

Seoul District Mayors' Council Meeting at City Hall on the 8th Morning: Jung Won-oh of Seongdong and Lee Soo-hee of Gangdong Criticize Seoul Metro's Complacent Attitude Toward Subway Commute and Demand Countermeasures

Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Lee Seong-heon, chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors, along with others, are observing a moment of silence to mourn the victims of the Itaewon tragedy at the Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors meeting held in Seoul on the morning of the 8th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] #“Seongsu Station and Ttukseom Station are extremely congested during commuting hours, reaching a very dangerous level. We sent an official letter to Seoul Metro requesting countermeasures, but the company gave a ridiculous response saying, ‘We are short-staffed, so please have the district office employees handle it.’

This statement was made by Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong District, at the regular meeting of the Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors held at Seoul City Hall on the morning of the 8th.

Since the Itaewon tragedy, Seoul Metro has been making efforts to deploy guides at subway stations such as Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station to reduce risks caused by congestion during commuting hours. However, subway stations with very high congestion levels remain dangerous, making it urgent to devise countermeasures.

#“In the case of Sangil-dong Station in Gangdong District, congestion is high starting from Hanam, so it is necessary to adjust the subway dispatch intervals. We sent an official letter to the company, but it seems they are overwhelmed with complaints. A company employee even called a Gangdong District employee asking, ‘Why did you send this?’”

This was added by Lee Soo-hee, Mayor of Gangdong District, following Mayor Jung Won-oh’s remarks, saying, “They should be warned.”

Regarding this, Kim Ui-seung, First Deputy Mayor of Seoul, responded, “Citizens’ anxiety about subway commuting is high, so Seoul Metro is focusing on managing safe routes. We will listen to the district mayors’ opinions and prepare countermeasures.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors (Chairman Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun District) received a report from Choi Jin-seok, Acting Director General of Seoul Safety Headquarters, on conducting special safety inspections of multi-use facilities to manage safety at facilities and places expected to have crowd congestion, aiming to prevent accidents caused by crowd density related to the Itaewon tragedy, and requested cooperation from autonomous districts.

Additionally, Acting Director General Choi stated that they will identify the status of large-scale events and venues throughout the year and establish and inspect safety measures for major overcrowded areas.

In particular, under the leadership of district mayors, thorough prior coordination with Seoul City, fire departments, police, and transportation will be ensured to establish safety measures and conduct on-site inspections for the World Cup event starting November 20, Christmas, and year-end and New Year’s celebrations.

Along with this, Seoul City announced that, based on the administrative action standards for illegal buildings, a warning of prosecution will be issued upon the first correction order, and prosecution will be carried out concurrently with the second correction order.

They also emphasized strict imposition of increased fines for commercial and habitual violations, imposing fines twice a year, assessing public interest infringement and risk, and carrying out administrative enforcement (demolition) as necessary.

The meeting was attended by Mayor Oh Se-hoon, First Deputy Mayor Kim Ui-seung, Second Deputy Mayor Han Je-hyun, Director of Women and Family Policy Kim Seon-soon, Director of Housing Policy Yoo Chang-su, Chairman Lee Seong-heon, Secretary General Park Il-ha (Mayor of Dongjak District), among others, and began with a moment of silence to mourn the victims of the Itaewon tragedy.