Rat joins subway invasion amid bedbug infestation

The rat that was spotted at the Yeongdeungpo subway station in Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

A rat spotted at Yeongdeungpo Station in Seoul is sparking public health concerns amid a bedbug infestation.

According to Yonhap, a 32-year-old office worker who commutes by train first noticed the rodent near the subway station's elevator around 11 p.m. on Monday.

The 32-year-old, identified as Ahn, said it was surprising to see a rat roaming around a subway station with its long tail hanging.

The rat repeatedly went in and out of a crack at the platform.

In response, subway operator Seoul Metro and the station said they will intensify their sanitation efforts.

According to the subway operator, it has not received any rat-related complaints in the past five years.

The company added that regular sanitation measures have been in place while the incident shows the need for heightened vigilance in maintaining public health standards.

The news comes amid the bedbug infestation that has been fueling concerns over the sanitation standards of public transit.

Some riders choose not to sit on fabric seats in subway cars.

An online post of a rider finding a bedbug in their coat after taking trains traveling between Suwon, Gyeonggi, and Daegu has gone viral.

There have been several claims online that bedbugs were found in delivery bags used by Coupang, Korea's largest online retailer.

The company has strongly denied such allegations.

Since last month, 30 bedbug cases have been reported. There had been 17 cases reported until last week.

Seoul alone accounted for 23 cases.

Before the current outbreak, only nine cases of bedbugs had been reported in the 10 years since 2014.

The government has formed a task force comprising 10 agencies, including the Interior Ministry, the Health Ministry, the Environment Ministry and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Local governments are also taking measures to combat the issue, with Seoul recently announcing plans to implement regular hot-steaming of subway seats.

Furthermore, fabric seats will be replaced gradually with plastic ones to ensure that bedbugs do not linger.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]