By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Seoul's subways will soon have female-only passenger carriages, again as from late January subway lines 6 and 7 will start test runs of the women-only cars. The move is designed to help protect female passengers from possible sexual harassment.
Depending on the test run, Seoul Metro in charge of the line 1 to 4 and Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT) in charge of the line 5 to 8 will decide whether to expand the service to other lines.
The female-only cars will be the first and eighth carriages or second and seventh carriages in the eight-carriage train. The special cars will also have lower handgrips and mirrors installed with cushions in light purple and pink on the seats.
The ``ladies only'' car is not the first attempt. Previously, the female-only car was introduced in 1992, but was suspended due to the lack of public participation amid lackluster promotion campaigns.
Many male passengers unintentionally used them ― some said they had to use them in rush hours and others argued it was another form of sexual discrimination. Many women also found it awkward to be in a special section.
Despite the failure of the first attempt, women's civic groups have kept requesting the special cars due to an increase in the number of sexual offenses in the subways.
``The female-only cars aim to help women vulnerable to sex offenses,'' said Chung Sun-in, general manager at the public information department of SMRT. ``This time, we will make an effort to attract participation from passengers.''
In Japan, similar services have been offered to combat obscene behavior and have drawn an overall positive reaction from the public.
Women feel safe from gropers while men cite not having to worry about false accusations. But some riders complained about further overcrowding in mixed cars, and feared that women who ride mixed cars would be putting themselves at more risk than before.
In addition, Seoul Metro will also expand the number of seats designated for the elderly and disabled.
It will also distribute more tourist guides to all 148 stations to provide tourists easy access to information such as the location of restaurants, tourist attractions and transportation tips near each station.
Seoul Metro will also undergo a facelift as well. The subways will operate new trains from the middle of January, with newly designed handgrips, signboards and advertisement frames to create a more harmonious environment.