Eyesores on Subway Train
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By Park Moo-jong
Seoul is one of the top world cities with a good subway system, along with New York City, London, Moscow and Paris, to name a few.
The names given public transportation systems vary by country: subway in the United States and South Korea, the Underground or tube in Britain and the Metro in France.
For some years now, a joke has been popular among the retired.
A 65-year-old retiree asks one of his friends during a monthly get-together, "How is it going?"
The friend replies in a sincere voice, "Ah, I am using the BMW."
All the friends at the meeting exclaim. "Wow! That's great. Are you?"
Then, he says kiddingly, "Yes, bus, metro and walking. They are good for my health and I have no intention to buy a BMW or any other German car now."
The subway is the second most important means of public transportation in Seoul after buses. Last year, it carried 5.34 million passengers a day, compared to 5.79 million bus riders.
The number of passengers is rising annually with the expansion of networks across the city.
Such a convenient and crowded facility inevitably accompanies questions about public etiquette.
Indeed, there are many passengers who give umbrage to others going to work in the morning or returning home in the evening after a day of long hard work.
About a month ago, a word newly coined, "manspreading," became a global sensation as it was listed in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Manspreading means the practice of men sitting in public transport, mainly subway trains, with their legs wide apart, thereby encroaching on other seats ― namely occupying more than one seat.
The "selfish" behavior was already listed as the No 1 eyesore on the subway in a survey here last year for it not only causes inconvenience to others, but sexual humiliation to women.
However, manspreading is a rather minor misdemeanor, compared to other rude, imprudent and offensive behavior people commit without being aware of others.
As a frequent user of the subway myself, I think the reckless use of mobile phones is the most serious problem regarding subway etiquette in this part of the world.
While some passengers, mostly the young, watch their smartphones using earphones, some speak loudly over their phone with friends or family members, no matter who they force to listen to the conversations that are generally not that urgent or important.
A week ago, a man in his 40s was talking over the phone in his seat for nearly 20 minutes in a loud voice, so that everyone on the train, except for those with earphones in their ears or passengers who were hearing-impaired, heard his conversation.
Finally, I asked him cordially, "Hello, it's too noisy. There are many people here. Why don't you stop now?" Other passengers were giving him scornful looks. But the shameless man glanced at me and went on, leaving I and other passengers unable to do anything else to stop him.
If an urgent call comes during a subway ride, the person should get off at the next stop to receive the call and get on the next train. It takes only a few minutes at the longest.
Some young couples’ public displays of affection are also eyesores, with many aged passengers clicking their tongues in condemnation. But the young couples don't seem to care. What's the problem?
Many senior citizens lament that homes and schools of today are the source of the problem. Many of them claim that public indecency should be applied to couples who are making out on the subway.
Other eyesores to be listed, in my view: young people who pretend to be sleeping in seats reserved for the aged and pregnant passengers.
Refusing to let passengers off a train before jumping on is a habit that dies hard, although we, Koreans, are well-known for our quick-tempers, which have contributed, in a positive aspect, to the rapid economic growth from the ashes of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
And these days, wearing a backpack on a crowded subway has been listed as ill-mannered and dangerous and I, myself, have been hit by backpacks many times.
New York and Paris already launched campaigns to do something about the lack of manners back in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
The Transport Authority of New York posted signs: "Subway Etiquette No.15: “Backpack Depth, Width, Whatever” When riding the train during rush hours, it is important to remember that there are other people on board as well. Henceforth, it is not appropriate to be wearing a backpack that is holding your week’s worth of laundry and other stuff. Either put it on the ground... or pay for a cab. Backpacks should not be weapons.”
It is fortunate that a similar campaign is being launched here to encourage passengers to take their bags off their backs or place them on their laps.
Good etiquette on the subway, the bus and elsewhere is possible when we are more polite and considerate of others.
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes may be an effective way for us to behave. It might even reward us; one good turn deserves another.
Then, we will be able to enjoy our "BMW" ride.
Park Moo-jong is a Korea Times advisor. He served as the president-publisher of the daily from 2004 to 2014 after working as a reporter since 1974. He can be reached at moojong@k