Seoul Metro Cracks Down on Fare Evasion as a "Clear Criminal Act"
Over 56,000 Cases Detected Annually... Additional Fare Collections Exceed 2.6 Billion KRW Each Year
Proposal to Raise Additional Fare Penalty from 30 to 50 Times the Regular Fare
Seoul Metro has announced its intention to hold fare evaders fully accountable through both civil and criminal actions in order to establish proper order in subway usage.
According to Seoul Metro on June 30, over the past three years from 2022 to last year, an average of more than 56,000 cases of fare evasion have been detected annually, with additional fare collections exceeding 2.6 billion KRW per year, indicating a serious problem.
In just the first half of this year (January 1 to June 20), approximately 27,000 cases of fare evasion were detected, and additional fares collected amounted to about 1.3 billion KRW. The most common types of fare evasion include boarding without a ticket (unreported no-ticket boarding), improper use of discount transportation cards, and fraudulent use of student discount tickets for elementary, middle, and high school students.
In particular, since the beginning of this year, with the full-scale crackdown on fare evasion involving the Climate Companion Card, the number of detected cases has increased significantly. From January to May, 3,950 cases were detected, resulting in the collection of approximately 190 million KRW in additional fares. Types of fraudulent use of the Climate Companion Card include using someone else's card, card sharing, and improper use of youth cards.
Seoul Metro has urged all passengers to use valid tickets in accordance with the Passenger Transport Terms and Conditions. If caught fare evading, passengers are required to pay both the base fare and an additional fare up to 30 times the regular fare under the Railroad Business Act and Passenger Transport Terms and Conditions. If there is a history of previous fare evasion, the additional fare will be retroactively imposed for those incidents as well.
If the additional fare is not paid, Seoul Metro will proceed with criminal charges under Article 347-2 (Fraud by Use of Computer, etc.) and Article 348-2 (Fraudulent Use of Convenience Facilities) of the Criminal Act. Separately from criminal prosecution, Seoul Metro will pursue civil lawsuits and compulsory execution to collect unpaid additional fares to the end.
In fact, Seoul Metro has filed more than 120 civil lawsuits against fare evaders. Last year, the company filed a lawsuit against a passenger who fraudulently used a discount ticket 414 times at Kkachisan Station and received a court ruling from the Seoul Southern District Court recognizing an additional fare of 18 million KRW.
To recover this amount, Seoul Metro completed property inquiries and registration of the debtor in the list of defaulters. Last year, 22 civil lawsuits and over 40 compulsory executions were carried out, and as of June 20 this year, 10 civil lawsuits and 10 compulsory executions are underway.
The methods for cracking down on fare evasion are also becoming more advanced. Moving beyond face-to-face inspections, Seoul Metro is evolving to scientific methods such as big data analysis and smart station CCTV monitoring. Various methods, including a transportation card usage inquiry system and CCTV monitoring, are used to monitor fare evaders at all times. Even if there are no staff members visible in front of the gates, fare evaders can be detected at any time.
With the increased use of the Climate Companion Card, Seoul Metro is also focusing on preventing misuse. To prevent improper use of youth cards, the gates will display a purple light when a youth card is used, and various countermeasures are being considered, such as broadcasting a "youth discount" voice message and displaying the phrase "youth card." To prevent multiple people from sharing a single Climate Companion Card, Seoul Metro is also considering measures such as a beep sound when the card is reused at the same station, enhanced CCTV monitoring, and displaying different colors based on the cardholder's gender.
Seoul Metro plans to continue conducting regular fare evasion prevention campaigns and publicity activities to raise public awareness among subway users. The company will also continue to propose amendments to the Railroad Business Act to relevant authorities, seeking to increase the current additional fare from 30 times to 50 times the regular fare.
Ma Haekeun, Head of the Operations Division at Seoul Metro, stated, "Despite our ongoing efforts to establish proper subway usage order through annual fare evasion prevention campaigns and special crackdowns, fare evasion continues to occur steadily every year. We hope that the awareness that fare evasion is clearly a criminal act will become widespread, so that everyone uses valid tickets and fare evasion is eradicated."
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