The National Association of the Disabled (Jeonjangyeon) held a subway 'boarding protest' on the way to work on the 21st. This protest delayed the operation of Seoul Subway Line 4 trains or caused them to pass through Hyehwa Station without stopping. The Seoul city government stated that it had received more than 200 complaints and that an employee was injured, and it plans to file a damage compensation lawsuit against Jeonjangyeon.
On that day, Jeonjangyeon commenced the 62nd 'I take the subway to work' protest at the Hyehwa Station platform heading toward Dongdaemun at 8 a.m. In addition to the previously announced Hyehwa Station, surprise protests were also held at Onam Station in Namyangju and Seonbawi Station in Gwacheon.
Jeonjangyeon previously conducted 'boarding protests' by blocking subway train doors to disrupt operations. After Seoul's strong response, they began 'die-in' protests, lying on the platform as if dead, starting from April 8 of last year. They resumed their protests after a year, asserting that their demands were not being met. Their demands include not only securing transportation rights for the disabled but also support for 'support for de-institutionalization programs for severely disabled individuals' and 'support for public job programs focused on the rights of the severely disabled.'
Park Kyung-seok, co-representative of Jeonjangyeon, stated at Hyehwa Station, 'We have waited a year and asked the National Assembly to create a system to protect the rights of the disabled. Despite submitting a bill that could properly reflect the budget, not a single one has been passed,' and added, 'We will again take the subway on the way to work.'
As Jeonjangyeon members began their boarding protest at Hyehwa Station at 8 a.m., staff from the Seoul Transportation Corporation stood in their way. The platform became chaotic when some members attempted to board the train around 8:45 a.m. The train doors did not close properly upon arrival, causing a 13-minute delay in departure. From 9:02 a.m. to 9:24 a.m., trains headed towards Dongdaemun passed through Hyehwa Station without stopping. There was no train operation at Onam and Seonbawi Stations from 8 a.m. for 35 minutes.
Due to the year-long boarding protest by Jeonjangyeon, citizens experienced inconvenience during their commute. Several posts appeared on online communities stating, 'I went one station in 45 minutes' and 'I was extremely late to work because of the protest.' One netizen wrote on X (formerly Twitter), 'After standing and waiting for over 30 minutes on the subway, an announcement came that the operation had ended,' and questioned, 'What is this for countless people who wake up early to prepare for work?' Passengers who disembarked from the train had to rush to switch to buses.
After some time of scuffling, Jeonjangyeon members agreed to board Line 4 trains in an orderly manner. Protest participants began to board the train around 9:28 a.m. and headed to the National Assembly Station on Line 9. Subsequently, they delivered their policy demands to each political party in the National Assembly and later participated in a national gathering of the National Association of Disabled Parents held at the nearby Irun Center.
According to the Seoul city government, there were 245 public complaints received regarding the Jeonjangyeon protest between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. on that day. Complaints included, 'We have been stopped for five minutes; please resolve this quickly' and 'I was unable to use the subway due to the protest, so please refund my fare.' An employee of the Seoul Transportation Corporation also suffered injuries during the protest response. The loss due to train delays was approximately 21 million won.
The Seoul city government plans to take strong action against Jeonjangyeon, including criminal charges and a damage compensation lawsuit, considering that not only Hyehwa Station but also Onam and Seonbawi Stations were subjected to surprise protests, affecting the overall operation of Line 4 trains. So far, the city has filed criminal complaints against Jeonjangyeon 11 times and initiated five civil lawsuits.
Three members of Jeonjangyeon have unilaterally occupied the bell tower of Hyehwa-dong Cathedral since the 18th and are staging a sit-in protest. This is due to opposition from the Korean Catholic Church to the de-institutionalization of the disabled. A recent law supporting the de-institutionalization of disabled individuals has passed the National Assembly, but the Catholic community is conducting a petition movement for its repeal.