Disability rights activists resume bus and subway boarding protests in Seoul

Disability rights activists halt commuter buses, drawing mixed public reactions

Disability rights advocates resumed a regular “bus-boarding” protest in Seoul on Wednesday for the first time in 22 years, calling on the Seoul Metropolitan Government to improve access to public buses for people with disabilities. Members of Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, along with other human rights activists, gathered at a bus stop in Hyehwa-dong, Jongno District, central Seoul, at 8 a.m. The protesters, many of whom use wheelchairs, boarded arriving buses in groups of two or three. They used wheelchair ramps or lifts to board low-floor buses. On buses with steps, some left their wheelchairs and pulled themselves up the stairs using their arms and legs. At one point, the protesters moved onto the road and blocked traffic after police attempted to divert approaching buses away from the stop where the demonstration was taking place. The protesters criticized the Seoul city government for failing to fulfill its pledge to replace all city buses with low-floor models by 2025. They said people with disabilities remained unable to move freely around the city despite the e

2 hours ago

Disability rights activists resume subway protest in Seoul after 6-month hiatus

A disability rights advocacy group resumed its subway boarding protest in Seoul on Thursday, following a six-month hiatus. Sixty activists from the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD), many of them in wheelchairs, boarded a train at City Hall Station, occupying six train cars, with 10 activists in each car. The protest took place after the morning rush hour, causing less disruption than expected as there was enough room on board for both the wheelchairs and commuters. "We are here to talk about the overall mobility rights of disabled people," SADD chief Park Kyoung-seok said, calling on the government to set aside a budget to guarantee the rights of the disabled next year. While the activists staged a protest on the City Hall Station platform, Seoul Metro, the subway operator, restricted access to parts of the platform and made broadcasts demanding the activists stop the protest and leave the station. On Wednesday, the group staged a bus-boarding protest during the morning rush hour in Seoul's Jongno Ward. Among other things, the SADD has demanded the Seoul metropolitan gov

4 hours ago