Home > National > Social Affairs

Disability rights activists stage road protest in Seoul during rush hour

Published: 21 Apr. 2026, 13:15 Updated: 21 Apr. 2026, 16:02

Protesters block a bus stop in Jongno District, central Seoul, during a rally calling for mobility rights on April 20. [YONHAP]

A disability rights advocacy group staged a road occupation protest in central Seoul during Tuesday's morning rush hour, causing severe traffic congestion and injuring a police officer who attempted to maintain order.

About 40 members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination began the protest near Jonggak Station in Jongno District, central Seoul, at 8:15 a.m., occupying bus lanes on both sides of the main road for about 35 minutes.

The protesters called for the expansion of disabled-friendly low-floor buses and other measures to guarantee mobility rights for people with disabilities.

A protester climbed onto a stopped bus and unfurled a banner bearing a slogan demanding the guarantee of mobility rights for people with disabilities. One police officer sustained rib injuries after colliding with a wheelchair while attempting to snatch the banner and was transported to the National Medical Center.

Other members of the group simultaneously staged similar protests at two other locations of the capital, occupying roads and bus stops on Sejong-daero and Gwanghwamun Square.

Yonhap