"Current System Causes Fairness Issues Between Regions"
Lee Jun-seok, a lawmaker from the Reform New Party, has announced plans to propose a bill to abolish the free subway ride system for seniors aged 65 and over and instead provide a certain amount of transportation vouchers. With Lee once again raising the issue of abolishing free rides, the controversy appears to be reigniting.
Recently, Lee held a press conference at the National Assembly and stated about the current free ride system for seniors, "The cost of free rides is currently accumulating as debt for most urban railway operators, causing serious fairness issues between regions in the transportation welfare system."
Lee has consistently advocated for the abolition of the 'free ride' system. Under current law, seniors aged 65 and over can use transportation facilities free of charge or at a discount provided by the national or local governments. However, this effectively benefits only seniors in large cities with urban railway infrastructure, raising concerns about fairness between regions.
Cost losses due to free rides are also cited as a problem. At a press conference in January, Lee referred to statistics showing that the annual cost of free subway rides was 815.9 billion KRW in 2022, stating, "This cost remains mostly as debt for urban railway operators and is being passed on to future generations," and added, "It is highly inappropriate administration to shift welfare costs that should be borne by the state onto local governments."
The proposed amendment includes a plan for the national or local governments to provide transportation vouchers of a certain amount to those aged 65 and over. These vouchers can be used on all modes of transportation, including urban railways, buses, and taxis, and after the voucher amount is exhausted, discounted fares will apply for public transportation.
This approach is receiving positive evaluations as it allows equal transportation welfare regardless of the place of residence. Since there are no urban railways in rural areas, seniors in provincial cities and farming and fishing villages who were previously excluded will also benefit. There is also an expectation that the debt problem of urban railway operators can be resolved.
On the other hand, criticism remains that this is a 'generation-dividing policy.' Kim Ho-il, former president of the Korea Senior Citizens Association, sharply criticized Lee's January proposal to abolish free rides, saying, "The argument overlooks the fact that seniors move around instead of staying at home due to free subway rides, which helps them stay healthy through walking exercise, and it deprives seniors of the happiness of traveling together in small groups thanks to free subway rides."
In response to such concerns, Lee said, "This is not about excluding seniors but about giving the state or local governments an additional choice to seek transportation welfare in a reasonable direction," adding, "Local governments can also choose to maintain the current system. We need to legislate quickly so that policy competition can take place in the local elections the year after next."
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