"Is Having a Baby a Campaign?" Conflict Over Subway Priority Seats for Pregnant Women, What Do You Think?

Elderly Man Booked for Assaulting Pregnant Woman Trying to Sit in Pregnant Seat
"Pregnant Seats Should Be Kept Empty from the Start"
"What's Wrong with Sitting in an Empty Seat That Makes People Give You Dirty Looks?"

On the afternoon of the 17th, an elderly man is sitting in the pregnant women's seat on Seoul Subway Line 2. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Seulgi Kim, intern reporter sabiduriakim@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] As a man in his 70s who used force against a pregnant woman to sit in a priority seat for pregnant women on the subway was caught by the police, voices are growing that the priority seats for pregnant women should be kept vacant in the first place. On the other hand, there are opinions emphasizing the efficiency of the priority seats for pregnant women, arguing that the consideration has a coercive nature.

According to the police, at around 9:15 a.m. on the 16th, a man in his 70s pushed the shoulder of a pregnant woman trying to sit in a pregnant woman’s seat about three times on the Seoul Subway Line 2 Outer Circle Line train. It is known that there were no further damages as surrounding passengers restrained the man.

Opinions among citizens are divided on this issue. Some say that since it is a priority seat for pregnant women, people should give up their seats, while others argue that since it is merely a consideration, there is no regulation requiring it, so it is not mandatory to give up the seat.

Jung Mo (33), who gave birth to a daughter in 2018, said, "When I was pregnant, I heard about the perception that pregnant women are treated like they have a special status and about occasional conflicts between pregnant women and ordinary citizens, so even if my body was a bit tired, I thought I should not expect others to give up their seats." She added, "During early pregnancy and even at full term, it was awkward to ask others to give up the pregnant woman’s seat if it was not vacant."

Jung said, "Even if I wear a pregnancy badge on my bag, everyone is looking at their smartphones and pays no attention," and lamented, "I think it would be better to keep the seats vacant from the start, but unless someone has experienced pregnancy and felt the discomfort, they probably won’t sympathize much."

Office worker Kim Mo (27) said, "The reason why the pregnant woman’s seats were separated in the first place was because elderly people considered the seats for the elderly as 'elder seats' and did not allow pregnant women to sit, or verbally and physically assaulted pregnant women who were sitting," and expressed frustration, "Is it really that hard to keep just those few seats vacant so that even early-stage pregnant women who don’t show signs can sit comfortably?"

Kim added, "These incidents are not one or two but keep happening, yet the punishment level remains low. It is contradictory to dislike keeping a pregnant woman’s seat vacant while urging people to have many children," and raised her voice, saying, "Not only should the pregnant woman’s seats be kept vacant, but the punishment for perpetrators in assault cases should be strengthened."

Notice posted on the subway seat for pregnant women. Photo by Yonhap News

The priority seats for pregnant women were introduced in 2013 to facilitate the convenience of pregnant women using the subway. However, this has sparked controversy with opinions such as "Isn’t this reverse discrimination?" and "Is consideration a right?"

Complaints related to the priority seats for pregnant women have also been increasing. According to Seoul Metro, the number rose from 13 cases in 2015 to 27,555 cases in 2018. This amounts to more than 75 cases per day on average.

Office worker Kim Mo (28), who usually commutes by subway, said, "I have often seen elderly people sitting in the pregnant woman’s seats even during crowded times like rush hours. Even when pregnant women wore pregnancy badges right in front of them, they sat without batting an eye," and added, "Even when people around asked them to give up their seats because a pregnant woman was nearby, older people usually did not listen."

She continued, "I have seen people who shouted, 'What’s the big deal about being pregnant?'" and added, "Usually, it is hard to harbor malice against strangers, but it seems that more people are harboring malice against pregnant women regarding the priority seats, which is unfortunate."

Photo by Yonhap News

According to a survey conducted on 6,179 citizens using Seoul Subway Lines 1 to 8, 39% of non-pregnant respondents said they had sat in the priority seats for pregnant women. The most common reason for sitting was "because the seat was vacant" (54.64%).

Housewife Park Mo (58) said, "The priority seats for pregnant women are still seats, so it seems inefficient to keep them vacant even when there are no pregnant women," and added, "Wouldn’t it be better to sit and then give up the seat when a pregnant woman appears?"

Park said, "Even if it’s not a priority seat for pregnant women, people give up their seats to pregnant women, so it’s strange to create special seats that make people feel pressured. Doesn’t it feel like forcing consideration?" She added, "I also don’t understand the atmosphere where people who sit in those seats are treated as inconsiderate."

Experts pointed out the lack of clear guidelines regarding the priority seats for pregnant women but suggested that a flexible system is needed so that vulnerable groups can use the seats depending on the situation.

Professor Gu Jung-woo of the Department of Sociology at Sungkyunkwan University said, "Since there is no clear guideline that the priority seats for pregnant women must always be kept vacant, conflicts arise over these seats," and added, "Rather than making it so that only pregnant women can use these seats, a flexible system that allows other people who are also uncomfortable in certain situations to sit would be necessary."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.