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Disability rights protest halts Seoul subways up to 40 minutes

Published: 05 Sep. 2025, 10:37

Members of Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination hold a protest at Myeong-dong Station on subway Line No. 4 on Sept. 5. [SOLIDARITY AGAINST DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION]

Commuters on Seoul Metro Line No. 4 experienced delays on Friday morning after activists from Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) staged a rush hour subway protest.

About 20 SADD members boarded a northbound train at Seonbawi Station in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, at 7:51 a.m. and blocked the screen doors, preventing the train from departing, according to Korail.

The activists disembarked at 8:32 a.m. and immediately moved to Namtaeryeong Station, where they continued their demonstration. As a result, northbound trains on Line No. 4 were delayed by 10 to 40 minutes.

Gwacheon advised commuters to use alternative routes and other modes of transportation.

SADD said Friday’s protest was its first “rush hour subway boarding civil disobedience action” since the inauguration of President Lee Jae Myung. The group argued that “24 years have passed without a responsible answer since the 2001 Oido Station lift accident.”

A wheelchair user died after falling while using a lift at Oido Station on Jan. 22, 2001.

The group also criticized the Lee administration’s 2026 budget proposal, calling it “a budget that fails to guarantee the right to mobility for people with disabilities and encourages discrimination.”

It announced plans to hold a news conference to demand greater funding for disability rights protections.

SADD has been staging rush hour subway protests since Aug. 18. On Tuesday, it also held a rally on the platform of Seoul Metro Line No. 1 at City Hall Station. Friday’s action marked the group’s 63rd demonstration in its ongoing campaign for disability rights.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]