Activists from Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) staged a rush-hour protest on Seoul Metro Line No. 4 on Friday morning to demand greater funding for disability rights and mobility protections.
About 20 SADD members boarded a northbound train at Seonbawi Station in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, at 7:51 a.m. and blocked the screen doors, preventing the train from departing, according to Korail.
Gwacheon officials advised commuters to seek alternative routes and modes of transportation.
SADD said the action marked its first “rush-hour subway boarding civil disobedience” since President Lee Jae Myung took office. The group cited the 2001 Oido Station lift accident, in which a wheelchair user died after falling, as a symbol of the government’s failure to ensure safe and accessible public transport.
“Twenty-four years have passed without a responsible answer,” the group stated, criticizing the Lee administration’s 2026 budget proposal as one that “fails to guarantee the right to mobility for persons with disabilities and encourages discrimination.”
The activists announced plans to hold a news conference demanding increased funding for disability rights protections.
SADD has staged rush-hour subway protests since August 18. Earlier this week, members rallied on the platform of Seoul Metro Line No. 1 at City Hall Station. Friday’s action was the group’s 63rd demonstration in its campaign for disability rights.
