"Bringing Shame to Doctors"... Man in Surgical Scrubs Sits in Subway Priority Seat for Pregnant Women

Controversy Over Doctor in Surgical Scrubs Sitting in Priority Seat for Pregnant Women
Hospital Website Temporarily Crashes Amid Online Backlash

A photo of a doctor wearing surgical scrubs and sitting in a priority seat for pregnant women on the subway is spreading through online communities.

A man wearing surgical scrubs sitting in a priority seat for pregnant women on the subway. Screenshot from a medical community.

On September 5, a photo became controversial online, showing a man, apparently dressed in surgical scrubs, sitting cross-legged in a subway priority seat for pregnant women while looking at his smartphone.

The date and location where the photo was taken have not been disclosed. It is known that the photo was first released through an online community for doctors.

After the post was uploaded, it was reported that the doctor in question works at a general hospital in Gyeonggi Province, which temporarily caused the hospital's website to crash.

In the doctors' online community, which requires verification such as a medical license for membership, comments included, "As a doctor, I am ashamed," and "Dirty blood and contaminants from surgical scrubs could get on the subway seat." However, there were also comments defending the man, such as, "Is this really something to be criticized for?" and "Let's be lenient when it comes to essential medical workers."

Some netizens questioned, "Is he really a doctor? Maybe he's just cosplaying in surgical scrubs."

Meanwhile, the subway priority seat for pregnant women was introduced in 2013 as part of Seoul's women's policy, with Seoul Metro designating certain seats for pregnant women. The initiative later expanded nationwide.

Seoul Metro recommends keeping the priority seats for pregnant women vacant at all times so that pregnant women can sit whenever needed. However, more than 10 years after the program's introduction, many pregnant women still report ongoing inconvenience.

Some have suggested installing sensors to detect whether a pregnant woman is seated, in order to enforce the policy. In fact, similar systems have been implemented in some urban railways, including in Gwangju. In these cases, a voice guidance device is attached to the priority seat, and when the infrared sensor detects a passenger sitting down, an announcement is made through the speaker.