By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it is considering rewriting railway rules in order to once again allow Seoul Metro, the operator of the subway lines, to penalize subway peddlers.
Under the new rules, subway officials would be able to fine peddlers and confiscate their goods. They would also be able to refer peddlers to the police or prosecution.
Subway officials have since 2005 only been allowed to force peddlers and beggars out of subway stations when the right to punish them was handed to each city government.
Seoul Metro said that the number of peddlers and beggars ordered out by its officials reached 6,150 in the five months to May this year.
With subway officials currently unauthorized to punish peddlers, they easily fall victim to assaults by them during scuffles to stop the traders selling goods. The number of assaults on subway officials rose to 16 during the nine months to September in 2007 from three in 2005.
Seoul City plans to collect public opinion on the transfer of the right to punish peddlers to subway officials by the end of the month.