Debate on Improvement of Subway Arrival Station Announcements Intensifies, Conflict Between Passengers and Operators Deepens

There is a heated debate online regarding the method of announcing the arrival stations on the subway.

The conflict intensified as internet users, presumed to be subway operating company employees, immediately countered passengers' demands for clearer announcements of upcoming arrival stations.

The controversy began with a post titled "Are you purposely not fixing the subway arrival station names?" on the anonymous workplace community 'Blind' on the 24th.

The author shared a photo of the 'Seoul Metro' subtitle displayed on the internal screen of the subway, pointing out, "Wouldn't it be better to fix the arrival station name instead of inserting useless phrases like that?"

They emphasized, "These days, everyone is wearing earbuds and can't hear the announcements, and when they actually try to find the arrival station, they don't know where it is, causing confusion," calling for improvements.

Defensive Responses from Operating Company Employees and Rebuttals from Passengers

In response, internet users verified to be affiliated with the subway operating company showed negative reactions.

One user, appearing to be a Seoul Transportation Corporation employee, sarcastically commented, “If the fare is 3,000 won, I think it could be done, but the current operation is a miracle.”

Another commenter identified as belonging to Korea Railroad Corporation asked, "Announcements are made, and they are posted prominently at the station. If a passenger can't get off while looking at their phone with earbuds in, is it the railroad's fault?"

In reaction to the aggressive responses from subway operating company employees, other internet users protested, stating, "We’re just mentioning inconveniences."

"Is it really necessary to mock someone for suggesting improvements based on inconvenience?" “This seems like a topic worth discussing," and "Just looking at the comments from employees, it's clear why nothing changes," were among the rebuttal comments that followed.

Meanwhile, as complaints about the difficulty of confirming subway station names continued, the Seoul Transportation Corporation initiated a project in April 2023 to improve visibility of station names.

They revamped the design of the displayed station names on the platform safety doors for better visibility and significantly enlarged the font size.

Additionally, small and large station name signs were affixed to the operating and emergency doors of the platform safety doors to ensure that passengers can see the arrival station without blind spots from their seats and entrance doors.

Image source: Blind capture, reference images for better understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank