[Seoul, Now] Subway Security Officers Under Attack: Is This Okay?

Kim Minjin, Head of the Local Government Team, Social Affairs Department
Subway Guardians Protecting Safety
Exposed to Assault Risks Due to Lack of Public Authority
Judicial Police Powers Needed for Maintaining Order

A commotion broke out inside the Dapsimni Station on Subway Line 5. A homeless man in his 50s shouted at a subway security officer from Seoul Metro who was asking him to leave, then struck the officer’s head with a metal chair. Fortunately, a fellow subway security officer quickly subdued the homeless man, preventing the incident from escalating into a more serious assault. On Line 2, a subway security officer’s finger was broken while trying to stop a man in his 20s who was illegally posting advertisements. The man ignored the request to stop and fled, causing injury.

Such incidents frequently occur even in Seoul’s subway system, which is used by 7 million people daily and is globally recognized for its safety. Over the past five years until the end of last year, there have been 21 approved industrial accident cases involving subway security officers. During 2020?2022, when subway ridership sharply declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the average annual number of approved industrial accidents was only 2.6 cases, but this rose significantly to 7 cases in 2023 and 6 cases last year.

The total number of subway security officers is 274. As of this month, 271 are currently working, which means that, arithmetically, one out of every 13 subway security officers has suffered an industrial accident over five years. The annual accident rate was 2.58% two years ago and 2.21% last year. Most of these were assault-related injuries.

If these figures came from a private manufacturing company, the factory would have already shut down. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor statistics, the average industrial accident rate for domestic companies (as of 2023) is 0.66%, nearly four times lower than the number of industrial accidents among subway security officers. Regardless of whether industrial accident approval was granted, there have been 272 reported assault cases against subway security officers within the company over five years. This means there is no subway security officer who has not experienced assault in five years. This figure excludes minor assaults and verbal abuse.

Subway security officers work in pairs on two shifts, patrolling trains and stations to respond to various accidents and crimes. They also maintain order in 1,500 stores within the stations and ensure the safety of passengers during crowded situations caused by rallies or protests by disability groups. Many of them hold at least a third-degree black belt in martial arts. There are many former athletes in judo, taekwondo, and special forces veterans. The company conducts a separate physical fitness test during recruitment and gives extra points to certified emergency medical technicians or those with a third-degree black belt or higher.

The security officers are not powerless victims. Although they protect public safety, they do not have public authority (judicial police powers). Their status is essentially the same as ordinary citizens. Therefore, even when confronting offenders caught in the act, it is difficult to seize or arrest them. They can only try to restrain dangerous behavior and wait for the police to arrive. They often get assaulted in the process, and aside from avoiding or restraining, there is no clear method available. Nowadays, many people provoke them knowing this.

Since the introduction of subway security officers in 2011, the need to grant judicial police powers has been raised repeatedly but has failed to pass the National Assembly each time. One reason was the overlap of functions with the Subway Police Unit. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Subway Police Unit has 118 members. Excluding investigative and administrative personnel, 55 are assigned to patrol and arrest duties. Considering two-person teams working two shifts, weekend work, substitute holidays, and leave, do lawmakers truly understand how many teams can patrol daily?

Sometimes it feels like our subway has not become a lawless zone thanks to “high civic consciousness” or just good luck. The reality faced by subway security officers at this very moment could be your own situation. How long will we rely on luck? They need to be granted the necessary authority to protect “subway safety.”