How the new two-day rotation is causing chaos for commuters
Published: 08 Apr. 2026, 19:04
Updated: 08 Apr. 2026, 19:27
![A car enters the central government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 6. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/08/515620de-b127-4a48-a5cb-d09e17053736.jpg)
A car enters the central government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 6. [NEWS1]
Commuters across Seoul faced severe disruption on Wednesday as stricter vehicle controls took effect, leading to overcrowding on public transit and longer travel times.
The disruption came as the government implemented a new odd-even two-day rotation system for public sector workers’ vehicles and tightened broader car-use restrictions after raising the crude oil resource security alert to the “alert” level, the third highest in its four-tier system on Thursday amid the prolonged Iran war.
Public parking lots began operating under a five-day rotation system on Wednesday, under which vehicle access is restricted based on the last digit of license plates assigned to specific weekdays. Parking lots at public institutions had been subject to the same five-day rotation system since March 25, but the rules were tightened to an odd-even two-day rotation on Wednesday, restricting their use to alternating days based on whether the plate number is odd or even.
By 8 a.m., Sindorim Station — a major transfer hub in Guro District, western Seoul, serving Subway Lines 1, 2 and 5 — was packed with commuters, with safety personnel deployed throughout the station to control the crowd.
“It usually takes one hour by car, but today it took about one hour and 30 minutes by subway,” a pregnant commuter traveling from Gimpo, Gyeonggi, to Jongno District, central Seoul, said. “I have to leave earlier even though I feel physically heavy, and it’s exhausting, but there’s no alternative,” the commuter added.
![A car is seen in front of the gate to the parking lot of the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul on March 25, the day the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment started to enforce a five-day rotation system for public sector workers' vehicles. [KANG JUNG-HYUN]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/08/52854542-b6b4-4f1c-903a-7a5f34636872.jpg)
A car is seen in front of the gate to the parking lot of the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul on March 25, the day the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment started to enforce a five-day rotation system for public sector workers' vehicles. [KANG JUNG-HYUN]
Another person, surnamed Park, traveling from Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, to a public institution in Jongno District, claimed similar delays.
“It takes 40 minutes by car, but now, because of the rotation system, not only does it take an hour with public transportation, I also have to transfer, which is inconvenient,” said Park. “Sindorim Station feels more crowded than usual today.”
Commuters are adopting various workarounds as alternating restrictions limit vehicle use every other day under the two-day rotation system.
Kim and Yoo, a double-income couple working as teachers in Gyeonggi, had to replace one of the car’s license plate numbers. Both of their cars had even-numbered plates, which would have prevented them from being used under the new system. A vehicle is a necessity for the couple because they have to pick up and drop off their two elementary school-age children from school.
“Since it was an older plate, replacement was possible, so we changed it to an odd number,” Kim said. “Such sudden implementation leaves double-income households like ours with no viable solution.”
![A campaigner promotes a car license plate restriction system in Suwon, Gyeonggi on March 23, 2026. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/08/0e0af779-b0f9-4e44-b8aa-eddf2c5aa083.jpg)
A campaigner promotes a car license plate restriction system in Suwon, Gyeonggi on March 23, 2026. [YONHAP]
The concern is not unusual.
“Both my spouse and I have even-numbered plates, so we are considering changing one of them [to odd numbers],” Lee, a high school teacher, said. “Some colleagues are faced with an additional hour of commute with public transportation, so our situation is relatively better.”
Some are seeking carpools through online platforms.
Apps such as Karrot, a hyper-local community platform, and Blind, an anonymous online forum for office workers, saw a rise in carpool-related posts after the government announced stricter controls on Thursday.
However, for those who cannot carpool, they must use public transportation, even if it means twice the commuting time.
“It used to take 40 minutes by car to get to work but now it takes twice as long with one hour and 20 minutes by public transportation,” said a public official commuting from Seoul to a public institution in Gyeonggi. “Frequent late-night overtime makes carpooling difficult for me, and there are no monthly parking options near the workplace, so there is no alternative.”
Some citizens voluntarily used public transportation in support of the policy.
Nam Chun-woo from Suwon, Gyeonggi, was heading to Sadang Station in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, to use public transit to attend an event at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.
![Commuters flood Jonggak Station in Jongno District, central Seoul on Subway Line 1 during the evening rush hour on April 3. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/08/11858bf5-f85e-43b9-af13-15a256e0eb39.jpg)
Commuters flood Jonggak Station in Jongno District, central Seoul on Subway Line 1 during the evening rush hour on April 3. [NEWS1]
“I usually drive, but I’m trying to get used to using public transportation,” Nam said. “My plate ends in 1, so I am not subject to the restriction today, but given the national crisis, I want to cooperate.”
Calls for more flexible standards are also growing, particularly among parents who rely on cars to pick up and drop off their school-age children during their commute.
“I need to pick up my child after work, but the alternating restriction makes it difficult,” a water safety worker at a public institution in Gyeonggi said. “It feels like I have to either buy an electric vehicle or quit my job.”
After-school instructors, who travel between schools carrying teaching materials, also raised concerns as the restriction limits mobility essential to their work.
A union representing non-regular employees in schools held a protest for about one hour and 30 minutes from 8 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Jongno District to demand that after-school instructors be exempt from the new mandate.
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 KIM YE-JUNG, KIM CHANG-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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