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| Pink seats in subways are designated seats for pregnant women. Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit (SMRT) Corporation has set October 10 as "pregnant women's day," and organized many events around or inside subway stations on line 5 to 8 on Wednesday between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. / Yonhap |
By Hong Dam-young
It seems pregnant women in Korea find riding subways uncomfortable. And that is why a Seoul subway operator is holding a campaign to get other passengers to be more considerate.
Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit (SMRT) Corporation has set October 10 as "pregnant women's day." The company, with Seoul City, Seoul Council and Auroraworld Corp., is organizing many events around or inside subway stations on line 5 to 8 between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
At one event, promotional materials such as notepads, crayons and bracelets will be given to passengers on trains leaving Gunja station for Onsu station on line 2, starting at 2p.m.
Other events include distributing wet tissue packs and promotional posters at Gwanghwamun Station, and a gift giveaway at a bus platform at Express Bus Terminal Station.
The events reflect the reality that many pregnant women suffer problems on subways.
"The event kicked off in 2013 in response to increasing complaints and reports from pregnant women about their agonies when riding the metro," a SMRT official in charge of the event told The Korea Times.
The campaign intends to protect pregnant women who many people do not recognize in their early stage, the official said.
"There are many people who don't show the decency of yielding a seat to pregnant women, but hopefully the campaign changes their minds," the official said.
On Sept. 27, a man in his 70s was accused of sexually assaulting a 27-week pregnant woman on subway line 4 by lifting up her skirt. The man was looking for a seat in the full subway car and blamed the woman for sitting on one of the designated seats for pregnant women and the elderly.
"I thought the woman was faking pregnancy," the man said. Anyang police booked him without arrest the next day.
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