Middle-aged Man Occupies Priority Seat for Pregnant Women
Stands in Front of Pregnant Woman but Pretends Not to Notice
No Legal Penalties Such as Fines or Penalties
A story has been shared about a man sitting in a 'Pregnant Women Priority Seat,' created to facilitate smooth public transportation use for pregnant women, who did not give up his seat despite a pregnant woman being right in front of him.
On the 23rd, JTBC's 'Case Manager' reported a recent incident at Suwon Station in the Seoul metropolitan subway where a middle-aged man sitting in a Pregnant Women Priority Seat ignored a woman wearing a pregnancy badge. Informant A said, "The middle-aged man was sitting in the Pregnant Women Priority Seat marked with a pink sticker," adding, "A pregnant woman approached from the side, but he ignored her and only looked at his phone. On the opposite Pregnant Women Priority Seat, an elderly woman was sitting, so the pregnant woman was in a very awkward situation. I, who was sitting next to them, gave my seat to the pregnant woman," explaining the situation.
In the photo released by A, a middle-aged man wearing a sky-blue jacket can be seen sitting in the Pregnant Women Priority Seat, using his phone. Next to him is the pregnant woman who took the seat after A gave it up. It can be confirmed that the pregnant woman’s bag has a pregnancy badge provided during pregnancy.
A said, "I have witnessed many non-pregnant people occupying Pregnant Women Priority Seats before," and added, "These days, it feels like consideration and kindness have greatly diminished, which is disappointing."
Netizens who saw the story responded with comments such as, "It is right to give consideration to pregnant women, especially in times like these," "You look healthy, so is it really that hard to be considerate?" and "Why did he have to sit in the Pregnant Women Priority Seat when he could have sat in the senior citizen seat instead?" Netizen B speculated, "These days, on online communities and social networking services (SNS), some people deliberately sit in Pregnant Women Priority Seats. Pregnant women deserve consideration, but many people resent that consideration. The man in the photo is probably one of those people."
On the other hand, some netizens responded with comments like, "Why should there be priority seats when we all pay the same fare?" "It's okay to sit there when there are no pregnant women," and "He might not have realized a pregnant woman was in front of him because he was looking at his phone."
Meanwhile, the main reason Pregnant Women Priority Seats are necessary is not simply for the convenience of pregnant women but due to the risk of miscarriage for the fetus. Even if non-pregnant passengers use the Pregnant Women Priority Seat, there are no legal penalties such as fines or penalties, but depending on the situation, they may be perceived as morally inappropriate. Since May 2016, Seoul Metro has revised its campaign to not only encourage giving up seats when a pregnant woman appears but to keep the seats vacant at all times for pregnant women, striving to establish this as a norm.
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