Korea Senior Citizens Association Criticizes "Unfilial Party"... Lee Jun-seok "Thanks for Immediate Feedback"

Lee Jun-seok "Abolish Free Riding" Pledge
Korean Senior Citizens Association "Shifting Subway Deficit to Elderly"

When the Korea Senior Citizens Association criticized the Reform New Party, which proposed abolishing free rides on urban rail, as a "disgraceful party," Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the Reform New Party's platform and policy committee, responded by saying, "Thank you for the immediate feedback."

On the 18th, through his Facebook, Chairman Lee stated, "I will continue to propose more policies so that transportation welfare can be universalized not only for seniors living in the metropolitan area or near stations but also in a wider range," reaffirming his existing stance.

Lee Jun-seok, Chairman of the Reform New Party's Policy Committee, is announcing transportation-related party platform policies at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day, Chairman Lee held a press conference at the National Assembly communication office and announced a pledge to abolish the free subway ride benefit provided to those aged 65 and over. He said, "We will abolish the urban rail free ride system and switch to providing an annual prepaid transportation card worth about 120,000 won that can be used on urban rail, buses, and taxis for seniors aged 65 and older."

He also mentioned the statistics of free subway rides amounting to 815.9 billion won annually as of 2022. He pointed out, "This cost mostly remains as debt for urban rail operators and is passed on to future generations," adding, "It is a highly inappropriate administration that shifts welfare costs that the state should bear onto local governments." He also highlighted the issue of regional equity in the free ride system for those aged 65 and over, noting that only seniors living in large cities such as Seoul, where urban rail exists, benefit from this system.

In response, Kim Ho-il, president of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, strongly criticized the proposal, calling it "an outrageous attempt to scapegoat free rides for seniors." President Kim raised his voice, saying, "Whether passengers ride or not, the same electricity cost is incurred," and "Except during rush hours, subways operate with many empty seats, and the electricity cost does not increase just because seniors ride in those empty seats."

President Kim argued, "The claim that free rides for seniors cause subway companies to run deficits is a false claim made without accurately analyzing the causes of subway deficits," and added, "The report analyzing subway deficit causes, commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to the Korean Transport Society, also proved that there is no correlation between subway deficits and free rides for seniors."