Simple Yet Life-Changing Ideas
From One-Click Year-End Tax Settlement to 15-Minute Subway Rides
Sometimes, simple ideas change the world. A representative example is the 'vehicle driving guidance lines' that help drivers navigate even in complex intersections. Simply painting lines in different colors according to the driving direction improved driver convenience and reduced the risk of accidents.
Such 'small but important' ideas that have changed our lives are embedded around us. We have carefully selected five innovative ideas that have transformed daily life.
1. 'Seatless Subway' to Reduce Hell Trains
On the morning of the 10th, passengers were aboard a Seoul Subway Line 4 train operating without seats. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The rush hours on Seoul Subway Line 4 are reminiscent of 'hell.' As of last year, the average congestion rate was 193.4%, meaning nearly double the recommended capacity of passengers were crammed into the cars. To reduce this overcrowding, Seoul Metro recently piloted a 'seatless subway.'
The core idea of the seatless subway is simple. By removing seats in two cars per train car, an additional space of 3.8 pyeong (12.6㎡) per car is secured, which can reduce morning rush congestion by at least 34.1% up to 40%. Of course, some complaints arise, such as 'Are you trying to make everyone uncomfortable?' but there is no disagreement that this is a cost-effective and immediate method to improve congestion.
2. Expansion of Substitute Holiday Application
The substitute holiday regulation was first introduced in 2013, but not all public holidays were eligible. However, since last year, through amendments to public office holiday regulations, Buddha’s Birthday and Christmas have also been included as substitute holidays.
Although it may seem like a simple legislative change, the amendment was promoted through inter-agency consultations considering the comprehensive impact on citizens’ right to rest, burdens on small and medium enterprises, and the economy. Behind this was the hard work and dedication of frontline public officials who worked diligently to make the law a reality.
Earlier on the 10th, the Ministry of Personnel Management selected Kim Ji-hyung, a public official who promoted the expansion of substitute holidays, as one of the 12 recipients of public official awards.
3. Year-end Tax Settlement That Used to Take All Day, Now in 5 Minutes
Employees are organizing year-end tax settlement guidebooks at the Jongno Tax Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The year-end tax settlement, known as the '13th month salary,' offers tax benefits if carefully managed, but many found the process cumbersome. However, with the recent development of the one-click year-end tax settlement service, citizens’ inconvenience has been alleviated. The developer of this service is Cha Sang-jin, an administrative officer in the Information Technology Office of the Ministry of Personnel Management.
He collaborated with the National Tax Service to develop a one-stop year-end tax settlement service to improve the work efficiency of 430,000 national public officials. As a result, he was selected as an outstanding public official for proactive administration in the first half of last year. Officer Cha commented, "The collaboration with related agencies was not easy, but I am glad that the efforts for the effects of batch year-end tax settlement processing turned out well."
4. Cold While Waiting for the Bus?... 'Heated Seats' That Warm the Heart
At a bus stop at Gwanghwamun Intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul, citizens are sitting on Eongtta chairs waiting for the bus.
During the harsh cold waves in winter, citizens waiting for buses feel their noses freeze and ears chill from the biting wind. To help them, 'heated seats' were created. Heated seats have heating wires installed so that citizens waiting for buses in winter can briefly escape the cold. When the outside temperature drops below 18 degrees Celsius, the power automatically turns on, raising the seat surface temperature to 38 degrees Celsius.
Heated seats have received positive responses from all age groups, including the elderly vulnerable to cold and children. According to the 2023 bus service satisfaction survey, 65.2% of citizens experienced heated seats, and among them, 92% expressed satisfaction.
5. Last Year’s Top Innovation Chosen by Seoul Citizens: '15-Minute Subway Re-Entry'
Citizens are passing through the ticket gates at City Hall Station on Seoul Subway Line 1. [Photo by Kim Hyun-min, Asia Economy]
One of the most popular recent systems is the '15-minute subway re-entry.' This system allows passengers who exit the subway gate to re-enter within 15 minutes without being charged the basic fare, applying only one transfer. If a passenger accidentally passes their destination or needs to leave the gate for urgent reasons such as using the restroom, they can re-enter within 15 minutes without paying extra. This system has been in effect since October 7 last year.
Notably, this system was also selected as the most relatable creative proposal by Seoul public officials among Seoul citizens last year. Seoul conducted an online vote for the 'Top 5 Creative Proposals of the Year' with 6,517 Seoul citizens last month. As a result, the '15-minute subway re-entry' received 2,932 votes (12.5%), ranking first.
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