"Please Give Up Your Seat": Middle-Aged Woman Refuses Pregnant Woman’s Request, Claims "I Am Also Pregnant"

No Legal Enforcement for Seats Reserved for Pregnant Women
Need for Awareness Improvement Amid System Limitations

A pregnant woman A reported the appearance of a middle-aged woman B sitting in a subway seat reserved for pregnant women. Screenshot from SNS

A controversy is growing after a story spread online about a pregnant woman in her final trimester who asked a middle-aged woman to give up a subway seat reserved for pregnant women, only to be told, "I'm pregnant too."

On June 16, various social networking sites were rapidly sharing a post titled "What Happened on Line 1." The author, identified as Ms. A, described herself as a pregnant woman in her final trimester and said she asked a woman appearing to be in her 50s to give up the reserved seat, but received the aforementioned response.

The accompanying photo shows a middle-aged woman wearing a mask sitting in a pink seat reserved for pregnant women. Contrary to her claim, her pregnancy status appears uncertain, and there are no visible signs such as a pregnancy badge.

Netizens who read Ms. A's post left critical comments, such as "Aren't you embarrassed?", "How can you say you're pregnant too?", "Aren't you ashamed in front of your children?", and "Imagine if the person in front of you was your own daughter."

Ongoing Conflicts Over 'Pregnant Women Reserved Seats'

Seats reserved for pregnant women were introduced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2013 to make travel easier for expectant mothers, with two seats designated per subway car. However, conflicts over giving up these seats continue to arise during actual use.

According to a "2025 Survey on Awareness and Practice of Consideration for Pregnant Women" published by the Planned Population Federation of Korea, 79.5% of pregnant women reported having used the reserved seats, but 60.9% said they experienced discomfort during use. Over 90% of those who felt discomfort cited "not being offered a seat" as the reason. While the general public's awareness rate of the pregnancy badge was 77%, only 52.2% of pregnant women said they actually received consideration after wearing the badge.

Limitations of a Voluntary System...Calls for Improvement

Currently, seats reserved for pregnant women operate on the basis of voluntary participation by citizens, without legal enforcement. As a result, even if conflicts occur during use, there are no clear standards for imposing sanctions.

Some have raised the need for system improvements, such as the introduction of a verification system, but experts point out that excessive regulation could lead to additional costs and new conflicts. Accordingly, there are calls not only to supplement the system, but also to promote a culture of voluntary consideration through increased public awareness.

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