"Disgraceful Party"... Korea Senior Citizens Association Angered by Lee Jun-seok's New Party's 'Abolition of Free Subway Rides' Pledge

"Urban Rail Deficit Blamed on Free Senior Rides...
Refutation of False Claims Without Analyzing Deficit Factors"

The Korea Senior Citizens Association strongly criticized the reform party led by Lee Jun-seok for its policy to abolish free subway rides for the elderly, calling it a "disgraceful party."

On the 18th, Kim Ho-il, president of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, issued a statement saying, "I was utterly shocked to hear reports that Lee Jun-seok made the outrageous remark that he would propose a pledge to abolish free subway rides for seniors aged 65 and over."

Kim Ho-il, President of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, is speaking at the "Era of 10 Million Seniors, Senior Policy Meeting" hosted by the People Power Party at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Earlier that day, Lee announced at a National Assembly press conference, "We will abolish the free subway ride benefit for those aged 65 and over and instead provide an annual payment of 120,000 won, equivalent to 10,000 won per month." He pointed out, "The cost of free subway rides for the elderly is projected to be 815.9 billion won annually as of 2022," and criticized it as "a highly inappropriate administrative case of shifting welfare costs that the state should bear onto local governments."

President Kim countered Lee’s criticism of the subway deficit issue, calling it "an outrageous attempt to scapegoat elderly free rides." He emphasized, "Electricity costs are incurred regardless of whether passengers ride or not. Except during rush hours, subways run with many empty seats, so having elderly passengers does not increase electricity costs."

He added, "The claim that free rides for the elderly cause subway companies to run deficits is a false assertion made without accurately analyzing the causes of subway deficits," and argued, "A report analyzing subway deficit factors commissioned by the Korean Society of Transportation Science also proves that there is no correlation between subway deficits and free rides for the elderly."

Lee Jun-seok, Chairman of the Reform New Party's Policy Committee, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the 'New Future Party Founding General Assembly' held on the 16th at Seoul Women's Plaza in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

President Kim stated, "It is an outrageous claim that acts as a spokesperson for subway companies irresponsibly managing operations while blaming elderly free rides," and raised his voice, saying, "This argument overlooks the fact that free subway rides encourage the elderly to be active and healthy rather than staying at home, and it deprives them of the happiness of traveling together in small groups."

In response, Lee Jun-seok explained on his Facebook, "I appreciate the immediate feedback from the Korea Senior Citizens Association regarding the reform party’s transportation welfare policy," and added, "I will continue to propose more policies to ensure that transportation welfare is universalized not only for seniors living in the metropolitan area or near subway stations but also across a wider range."