'No way to get there': Chuseok highlights lack of options for wheelchair users
Published: 02 Oct. 2025, 18:29
![48-year-old Lee Jae-hee sits on his wheelchair in front of an express bus at the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Oct. 2. [JUN YUL]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/10/02/90b8e198-f012-4dce-add9-f91f21f03e38.jpg)
48-year-old Lee Jae-hee sits on his wheelchair in front of an express bus at the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Oct. 2. [JUN YUL]
Lee Jae-hee, a man who uses a wheelchair, watched the busy flow of passengers and buses at the Seoul Express Bus Terminal on Thursday afternoon.
“It’s been five years since I last visited my parents in Mokpo,” he said. Mokpo is in South Jeolla — a good four-hour ride on the bus. According to Lee, there is a designated boarding area for passengers who use wheelchairs at the terminal, but no buses that he can actually board.
A resident of Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, Lee said, “I’ve always wanted to visit my parents more often, but there’s no proper way to get there, so they’ve had to come up to see me.” Lee added, “Now that my mother is 73, it’s getting too hard for her to travel, so we’ve agreed to just talk over the phone this holiday.”
On the same day, members of civic groups Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) and the National Solidarity for the Mobility Rights of Persons with Disabilities held press conferences at eight locations across the country — including the Seoul Express Bus Terminal — calling for express and intercity buses to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs.
Holding placards that read “Zero low-floor intercity buses” and “Enact the first bill of the National Assembly: Mobility Rights Act for the Transportation Vulnerable,” participants chanted, “Let people with disabilities ride intercity and express buses too.”
![Members of civic groups advocating for transportation and mobility rights for people with disabilities hold a protest at the Cheongju Intercity Bus Terminal, North Chungcheong on Oct. 2. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/10/02/a0c1e57b-8964-4eca-a18c-ea2d73e9eb64.jpg)
Members of civic groups advocating for transportation and mobility rights for people with disabilities hold a protest at the Cheongju Intercity Bus Terminal, North Chungcheong on Oct. 2. [YONHAP]
Park Cheol-gyun, a senior representative of the solidarity group, criticized bus companies for rejecting wheelchair-accessible buses, citing “lack of profitability” and “safety concerns.”
“While premium buses for non-disabled passengers are expanding rapidly, services for people with disabilities are being ignored as if we don’t exist,” Park said.
Although it has been 20 years since the Act on Promotion of the Transportation Convenience of Mobility Disadvantaged Persons was enacted in 2005, access remains limited. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, none of the 6,232 intercity and express buses nationwide are equipped to accommodate passengers in wheelchairs.
From 2019 to 2021, wheelchair-accessible buses were trialed on four routes — between Seoul and Gangneung, Dangjin, Jeonju and Busan — but all except the Dangjin route were discontinued due to low demand and frequent breakdowns, although the Dangjin route also ceased operations in August 2023 after a bus broke down. A follow-up government grant program for wheelchair-accessible buses received no applications from bus companies and was ultimately scrapped.
![Members of civic groups advocating for transportation and mobility rights for people with disabilities hold a protest at the Cheongju Intercity Bus Terminal, North Chungcheong on Oct. 2. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/10/02/440e7d49-4f18-4d45-a4a3-f6d9ace951dd.jpg)
Members of civic groups advocating for transportation and mobility rights for people with disabilities hold a protest at the Cheongju Intercity Bus Terminal, North Chungcheong on Oct. 2. [YONHAP]
Legal disputes between disability rights groups and transportation providers have also emerged. On Feb. 20, the Gwangju District Court ruled partially in favor of five plaintiffs with disabilities who had sued Kumho Express, the city of Gwangju and the government. The court ordered Kumho Express to install wheelchair lifts in newly introduced buses in stages from next year through 2040. The plaintiffs have since appealed, arguing that both the city and central government share responsibility for ensuring intercity transportation access for people with disabilities.
Experts say a realistic plan is needed that reflects the needs of people with disabilities while also addressing the burdens faced by bus operators.
“The cost of introducing wheelchair-accessible buses can be a heavy burden for companies,” said Jeon Ji-hye, a professor of social welfare at Incheon National University. “One approach could be for the government to subsidize those costs.”
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 JUN YUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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