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Korea Herald
01-07-2025
- Korea Herald
Man caught using mom's senior transit card, slapped with W18m fine
A man in his 40s has been ordered to pay 18 million won ($13,000) in penalties for illegally using his mother's senior transportation card, authorities said Tuesday. Seoul Metro said the man surnamed Kim used the card 414 times to commute between Kkachisan Station in western Seoul and Gimpo International Airport Station from March to July last year. Senior transportation cards are issued to people aged 65 or older and allow free or discounted fares on public transit in major Korean cities. A metro official at Kkachisan Station discovered Kim's illegal usage through data analysis and issued a fine totaling 18 million won — 30 times the standard fare for the 414 rides. Under transit regulations, passengers caught evading fares must pay a surcharge amounting to 30 times the base fare. Failure to pay may lead to criminal charges. Seoul Metro said it would hold fare evaders fully accountable through both civil and criminal actions in order to establish proper subway usage etiquette. From 2022 to 2024, an average of 56,000 fare evasion cases were recorded annually, with fines exceeding 2.6 billion won during the three-year period. In the first half of this year alone, about 27,000 cases were reported, resulting in 1.3 billion won in fines, Seoul Metro said.
News18
27-06-2025
- News18
Caught On Video: Passengers Flee In Panic As South Korean Man Sets Metro Carriage Ablaze
Last Updated: A 67-year-old South Korean man, Won, set fire to a packed Seoul Metro carriage on May 31, injuring six and causing $220,000 in damages. Terrifying CCTV footage captured the moment a 67-year-old South Korean man set fire to a packed metro carriage in Seoul, sending commuters scrambling for their lives. The man, identified by his surname Won, has since been charged with attempted murder, arson and violating the Railroad Safety Act. The incident occurred on May 31 during peak hours on the Seoul Metro. In the footage released by the court, Won is seen reaching into his bag, pulling out a bottle and pouring flammable liquid across the floor as well as around passengers. Within seconds, chaos erupts in the metro carriage as commuters are seen dashing for exits and slipping on the fuel-slick floor. As the passengers escaped, flames engulfed the carriage, as captured in the clip. Watch video here: Authorities said that Won's actions endangered the lives of 160 passengers- of which six people were injured and 23 others were treated at hospitals for smoke inhalation and related injuries. The fire caused over 300 million won (approximately £161,000 / $220,000) in damages as one metro carriage was completely destroyed while two others sustained heavy smoke damage, local media reported. Location : South Korea First Published: June 27, 2025, 16:00 IST
Korea Herald
24-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Nearly 4,000 misuse cases reported for Seoul's ‘Climate Card' transit pass
Nearly 4,000 cases of misuse involving Seoul's all-inclusive transit card were reported during the first five months of this year, according to data released by Seoul Metro. The Climate Card, launched in January, offers unlimited access to public transportation within Seoul and select neighboring areas for 65,000 won ($48) a month. The rechargeable monthly pass has proven popular, with an average of 850,000 daily users as of April. But Seoul Metro says some riders have been abusing the system. From January through May, officials identified 3,950 misuse cases, typically caught by staff stationed near ticket gates or spotted through surveillance footage. It included adults falsely claiming youth discounts, intended for riders aged 13 to 39, and individuals sharing a single card across multiple people. Those caught face a fine equal to 30 times the standard fare. The transit authority said it is considering a revision to increase the penalty to 50 times the fare. 'We plan to strengthen enforcement and improve our response to prevent further abuse of the Climate Card,' the agency said in a statement. Officials are also preparing to introduce a new voice alert system that will announce 'youth discount' whenever a discounted card is used, as part of a broader effort to discourage unauthorized use.
Korea Herald
20-06-2025
- Climate
- Korea Herald
'Too hot' vs 'Too cold': 75% of subway complaints temperature-related
A total of 283,972 complaints related to heating or air-conditioning on subway trains have been issued by Seoul Subway passengers this year, making up 75.5 percent of all complaints in the first five months of 2025. Seoul Metro, the main operator of the city's subway systems, said that over 110,000 temperature-related complaints were issued to the customer center in the month of May alone. Under Ministry of Environment guidelines, Subway cars are maintained at a designated temperature of around 24 degrees Celsius in the summer and 18 degrees Celsius in winter. However, the temperature of each car tends to spike during rush hours when trains are jam-packed, due to passengers' body temperature. As such, heat-related complaints tended to peak at the commuting hours of 7-9 a.m. and 6-8 p.m., with 623,969 saying it was too hot and 35,538 saying it was too cold. Seoul Metro's Ttota Subway application gives real-time information on how packed each subway car is. Subway trains also have designated cars with weaker air conditioning, which maintain temperatures at around 25 C in the summer. These are the fourth and seventh cars of trains on Subway Line Nos. 1, 3 and 4; the fourth and fifth cars of trains on Subway Line Nos. Lines 5, 6, 7; and the third and fourth cars for trains on Line No. 8. Line No. 2 does not operate such cars.
South China Morning Post
19-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
In South Korea, blood cancer cases at Seoul Metro spark workplace safety concerns
South Korea 's workplace safety is under scrutiny after five Seoul Metro maintenance workers were revealed to have been diagnosed with blood cancer, raising fresh concerns about long-term exposure to carcinogenic substances. Advertisement Officials on Wednesday said two of the five workers had died from 'acute leukaemia', the Korea Times reported, citing a study by the Korea National Open University. The affected workers were responsible for maintaining trains on Lines 1 through 8 of the Seoul Metro. All five had spent years performing core maintenance tasks, including dismantling, cleaning, repairing, welding, grinding and repainting subway trains. According to the Korea Times, one was diagnosed in 2009 at age 39 and retired three years later. Another was diagnosed in the same year and retired in 2011 at age 51. The remaining three are still employed. Advertisement The latest cases follow last year's discovery of eight other workers diagnosed with the same conditions – including three deaths – bringing the total number of affected employees at Seoul Metro to 13.
