Seoul, South Korea - Seoul Metro, the operator of Seoul's subway lines No. 1-8, has announced a series of measures to ban all subway protests by Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD), a disability advocacy group. This decision follows the group's resumption of their morning rush-hour protests this week after a two-month hiatus.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the countermeasures were developed after SADD resumed their protests on Tuesday, which had been halted since their last collective action on September 25. The new strategy includes three steps: blocking the group's entry into subway stations, preventing them from boarding trains by not opening or shutting platform doors, and taking legal action against any illegal acts.
The subway operator has also requested police cooperation to enforce these measures within all subway stations and trains, citing the Assembly and Demonstrations Act. In the event of continued protests, Seoul Metro plans to have trains pass through stations without stopping and intends to record demonstrations to gather evidence of illegal actions.
SADD has been conducting subway protests since 2021, demanding increased government funding to protect the rights of people with disabilities, including mobility rights. Their tactics have involved wheelchair-bound activists boarding and disembarking trains to cause delays during peak hours. Seoul Metro reported that these protests have led to over 86 hours of delays on 471 occasions since 2021, resulting in approximately 780 million won (US $600,936) in losses.