Advocacy group to suspend morning subway protests, asks for meeting with mayor

Park Kyoung-seok, head of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, speaks during a meeting with reporters in Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

An advocacy group for people with disabilities said Wednesday it will suspend its morning rush hour subway protest for two weeks and asked for a meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

“We will wait for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s answer to our request for a meeting and halt the subway protests until Jan. 19,” said Park Gyeong-seok, head of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD), to the press after meeting with an official from Seoul Metro.

Until Jan. 19, members of the SADD will only stage protests at a platform in Hyehwa Station, line No. 4, without getting on the subway to disrupt operations.

The group says it will resume its morning rush hour protests on Jan. 20 if Oh refuses to meet.

Since January 2021, the SADD has held over 80 protests at Seoul subway stations, urging the government to increase spending on mobility for disabled people.

The protests, which involved SADD members in wheelchairs obstructing subway doors, have faced heavy public criticism because they were held at the busiest hours of the day and caused major delays.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]