Seoul mayor declares 'zero tolerance' for subway protests by disability advocacy group

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon [YONHAP]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Monday declared "zero tolerance" for rush-hour subway protests by members of a disability advocacy group, pledging to take all possible legal action to stop them from disrupting subway services.

Since late last year, the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) has staged subway-riding protests at major stations in central Seoul on and off, demanding an increased government budget to protect the rights of people with disabilities.

Wheelchair-bound activists have repeatedly boarded and disembarked trains to cause delays in metro services during the morning rush hour, drawing stiff complaints from commuters.

Ahead of the National Assembly's review of the 2023 state budget bill, SADD temporarily suspended its campaign last week only to threaten to resume it next week, protesting that the parliament-approved budget bill only includes a fraction of what it had demanded.

On Monday, Oh uploaded a post titled "zero tolerance principle" on his Facebook account in response, saying, "There will be no more generosity toward illegality.

"As mayor, I can no longer overlook damage and inconvenience inflicted on ordinary citizens," he said, adding all possible legal measures will be taken against the subway-delaying campaign, including on-site law enforcement by police, as well as criminal and civil action.

An official at the Seoul metropolitan government said the city plans to file a damages suit should SADD resume its subway protests as threatened.

Yonhap