Jeonjangyeon-Seoul Transportation Corporation Standoff Ends... Boarding Protest Continues on the 3rd

12 Hours and 30 Minutes of Standoff Ends with Dispersal
13 Subway Trains Pass Without Stopping

Members of the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeonjangyeon) hold a press conference before staging a subway boarding protest at Samgakji Station on Line 4 of the Seoul Subway on the morning of the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The standoff between the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Disability Discrimination (Jeonjangyeon), which sought to resume subway boarding protests, and Seoul Metro, which tried to block them, ended after about 12 hours and 30 minutes.

Jeonjangyeon ended the boarding protest at Samgakji Station on Subway Line 4 around 9:35 p.m. on the 2nd and dispersed about 30 minutes later. Earlier that day, Jeonjangyeon had started a 1-night, 2-day subway boarding protest at the Samgakji Station platform from around 9:10 a.m., demanding budget allocation for disability rights.

The police and Seoul Metro blocked the boarding, leading to a standoff. Throughout the day, 13 trains bound for Danggogae passed through Samgakji Station without stopping. Starting with one train at 3:02 p.m., five trains passed non-stop between 8:51 p.m. and 9:08 p.m. during rush hour, and seven trains passed from 9:13 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The police deployed 10 riot police units and 2 detachments, while Seoul Metro continued broadcasting evacuation announcements.

Previously, the court had decided through forced mediation in December last year that Seoul Metro would install elevators in 19 stations by 2024, and in return, Jeonjangyeon would stop protests on train operations. Additionally, if Jeonjangyeon delayed train operations by more than 5 minutes during boarding or alighting protests, they would have to pay Seoul Metro 5 million won per incident.

Jeonjangyeon stated in a press release the day before that they would comply with the court's mediation by boarding within 5 minutes. However, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon clearly rejected this in a broadcast interview the same day, saying, "Extending subway operations by 5 minutes is absurd." In response, Jeonjangyeon announced a 1-night, 2-day publicity campaign at Samgakji Station and plans to resume boarding protests as scheduled from 10:30 a.m. on the 3rd.