Line No. 2 Gangnam Station most used in Seoul: data

Seoul's Gangnam Station on Line 2 is the most heavily used subway station in the capital city, data showed Thursday.

An average of 130,745 people per day used the station in southern Seoul during the first half of this year. The next most popular was Seoul Station on Line 1, at the center of the capital, with 105,000 users followed by Jamsil Station on Line 2 in southeastern Seoul, with 97,000 users, according to the data compiled by the Seoul Metro and Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp., which operate the city's eight subway lines.

Magok Station on Line 5, in the western part of the city, had an average of only 904 daily users, the smallest number of the city's subway stations, which is largely attributed to a delay in the development of its neighborhood, according to the operators.

The number of legal free riders under the country's welfare program rose by 3 percent on-year to average 249,000 per day for subway Lines 1 to 4, and up by 5.4 percent to 397,000 users for Lines 5 to 8 for the first six months of the year, the data showed.

Senior citizens aged 65 or older, disabled people and those considered of "national merit" who have contributed to the country, such as war veterans, are allowed to ride the subway for free.

The deficit incurred by the welfare program amounted to roughly 131 billion won ($115.8 million), according to the data. At present, the basic fare for a trip is 1,050 won.

"With the opening of new subway lines linking the capital city to suburban regions, an increased number of senior citizens seem to have enjoyed free riding more often than before," a Seoul Metro official said.