On the morning of the 5th, at the platform of Yongsan Station in Yongsan District, Seoul, commuters were seen getting off the train and heading towards the ticket gates. (Photo by Kim Dong-kyu)
[Financial News] “If there’s a strike, will the subway be heavily congested? It’s already a nightmare during rush hour…” said Mr. Park (37), a resident of Daebang-dong, Dongjak District, Seoul. Park, whom I met at Yongsan Station around 8 am, expressed that although taking the subway is exhausting, there is no other option for him to make a living. “Without a car, the only way I can commute is by subway,” he sighed. “It’s already so crowded that it’s unbearable, and if the railway workers strike, it will be even harder to take the subway.”
The railway workers’ union initiated a general strike from 9 pm that day. Commuters in the Seoul metropolitan subway lines operated by Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) showed anxiety over the impending strike by railway workers.
According to Korail and the railway workers’ union, over 10,000 union members are participating in the strike. As the railway industry is designated as essential under the Trade Union Act, only non-essential workers are joining the strike. Consequently, about 75% of the usual train services are operating on some sections of Korail’s metropolitan subway.
At the Yongsan Station Line 1 platform, as usual, passengers were packed into the crowded trains. Lim (31), an IT industry worker who commutes from Guro to Yongsan, expressed concern that the “crowded train” might evolve into the old “packed sardine train” due to the strike. “Even now, trains are full of people, and if the strike reduces train operations, wouldn’t the number of passengers per train increase?” he said. “Just thinking about it is distressing.”
Mr. Kim, whom I met at Seolleung Station on the Bundang Line, said, “I usually let a train go because I dislike being on overly crowded trains during my commute,” adding, “I might have to consider other modes of transportation.”
Unlike Kim, many citizens I met mentioned having no alternative to rail transport. Mr. Ham, who works in finance and is in his 40s, stated, “Living in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, I have no choice but the subway,” adding, “When the strike begins, I will probably have to leave at least 30 minutes earlier than usual.”
With the railway workers’ union starting the strike, citizens’ inconvenience is inevitable. However, some citizens argue that the workers’ strike is a necessary “growing pain” for societal development.
Lim stated, “Since railway workers, like me, are just trying to make a living, they must have their circumstances.” He added, “Some criticize them for ‘holding civilian lives hostage for their gain,’ but shouldn’t social members acknowledge each other’s interests?”