Seoul increases public transportation operations for Korea-Africa Summit

Commuters walk on the platform at Jamsil Station in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on May 23. [YONHAP]

More buses and subways will operate in Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday as heavy traffic is anticipated during the two-day Korea-Africa Summit.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday rolled out measures to minimize traffic during the summit following the Foreign Ministry’s plan to implement alternate-no-driving days during the period.

The ministry earlier announced the implementation of alternate no-driving days, where cars with even-numbered plates can only drive in the city on Tuesday and those with odd-numbered plates on Wednesday.

The restriction will only apply to noncommercial vehicles with up to 10 seats, excluding those carrying pregnant women, disabled individuals and children younger than six years old.

As more people are anticipated to use public transportation during the period, more subways and buses will be dispatched during peak hours in the morning from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., an hour longer than the usual 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, subway schedules along lines No. 1 to 7 and the Ui-Sinseol light rail line will have 43 more trips per day. The additional trips are expected to transport around 90,000 more passengers on the subway each day.

An increased dispatch of buses from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. is also expected to transport an additional 81,000 passengers per day compared to normal days, according to the Seoul city government.

The city government added that surveillance cameras at subway platforms will be carefully monitored. All 25 district offices will dispatch safety agents in their areas for enhanced security.

"We will do our best to manage traffic by ensuring the operation and capacity of public transportation and providing traffic information to support the convenience of citizens' travel,” an official at the city government said. “However, since the event is on a weekday and congestion is expected, we strongly encourage everyone to leave their cars at home and use public transportation."

Traffic congestion is expected to begin in the capital Monday night and continue through Wednesday night, according to the Foreign Ministry. A total of 48 countries are set to participate in the inaugural Korea-Africa summit this week.

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