Scenes from the Seoul Metro
Today, in the subway, I stood beside a young woman who thought it would be a good idea to place her caramel macchiato in the overhead compartment. Predictably, the cup fell over and spilled its sticky java contents all over two men wearing fairly nice looking suits. One of them quickly gave the girl a used tissue, demanding that she wipe off the coffee from his back. Nosey ajumas (older Korean women) on the other side of the train, dressed in their best hiking outfits, reached over to provide the humiliated young lady with a seemingly endless supply of tissues and moist towelettes. At first, judging by their stern faces, it seemed like the ajumas wanted the young woman to know that they were disappointed in her. As she set about the arduous task of cleaning up her mess, though, the old ladies smirked.
It was just another day in the Seoul subway, the best place in the city to watch the interaction of everyday Koreans of various ages and social classes. Seoul’s subway system is one of the most extensive in the world. It consists of eight lines, spanning 287 kilometres, connecting virtually all neighbourhoods within this massive metropolis of over 20 million people. There are currently 266 metro stations, from the Incheon International Airport near the coast of the Yellow Sea, to the distant northern suburb of Uijeongbu, down to the posh “new cities” of Gangnam (the district south of the Han River) and then out east to a rusty, Soviet-like area called Sangil-dong.
Ridership on the Seoul Metro system was approximately 1.654 billion in 2006, making the Seoul Metro the third busiest rapid transportation system in the world, not too far behind the systems in Moscow and Tokyo. When the passengers using the Korail commuter train network are included, the system’s total annual ridership swells to approximately 2.5 billion.
Three different government organizations; Seoul Metro, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, and Korail operate the transportation network in Seoul. Each organization is responsible for different sections of the transportation network, which consists of a mix of underground (about 70% of the total track length) and elevated heavy and light rail lines. The system also includes thousands of buses, powered by natural gas, that connect various transportation hubs and provide an alternative mode of transport along subway routes for those who prefer to be aboveground.
The first subway line in Seoul opened in 1974. The system expanded quite rapidly in preparation for the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 2002 Fifa World Cup soccer tournament. The system is currently undergoing significant expansion once again, including an 11-kilometre light rail line, which will run east to west in the northern section of the city, connecting two existing subway lines. Also under construction is a new subway line to the neighbouring city of Bundang, and another line that will connect Korea’s largest theme park (Everland) to the centre of Seoul.
Riding the subway in Seoul is inexpensive. Less than $1 CAD will take you from the northern suburbs, close to where the city meets the mountains, to the more exciting and hip districts within the central city. A two-hour trip to the Incheon International Airport from my neighbourhood in Nowon district costs approximately $2. The entire network uses the T-money system, which makes paying for travel simple. The rider will purchase a transit card at any local variety store and add money to the card as required. The fare is debited from your card each time you pass through the subway gate or board a bus. Many Seoulites have a small tag attached to their cell phone and simply swipe their phone when boarding, thus eliminating a significant amount of fumbling and waiting. The rider also has the option of swiping their credit card to pay for the ride.
Senior citizens can use the subway for free in Seoul. They also have seating privileges in special sections of the subway cars. If you are lucky, an ajuma or an ajussi (older Korean man) will invite you to sit with them, thereby removing yourself from the hustle and bustle that is typical in a Seoul subway car. It has happened to me twice since arriving here seven months ago.
Both experiences with Korean seniors on the subway were slightly uncomfortable, but indeed memorable. The first encounter with a curious elderly person was back in October. An 89 year-old woman (she managed to tell me her age with her fingers) invited me to sit with her in the reserved seating area. It seemed as though all she wanted was to get a closer look at my gigantic nose. After she became bored with my nose, she insisted that I practice my Korean by repeating the names of the passing subway stations.
Another time, a man with a mask summoned me to the reserved seating area where he introduced himself as a retired chemist and part-time researcher at the prestigious Seoul National University of Technology. He proceeded to converse with me in flawless English about his best friend in Vancouver and his recent travels through Europe. He also explained to me that he is concerned that the next generation of Koreans will have serious hearing problems because of their love affair with electronic gadgets that require headphones. Despite his concern for the ears of the youth of his country, this was a content man. I will never forget him telling me, with a look of cautious pride in his eyes, that the changes he has seen in his lifetime in Korea have been “like a dream”. That day I wished Line 7 had a few more stops—I was sad to say goodbye.
During a journey on a Seoul subway train, you will likely encounter a bad sales gig for a variety of products ranging from pots and pans to tacky women’s gloves to top-spinners. I must confess to purchasing electrical tape from a subway car salesman one night because I happened to really need it and the man put on a decently entertaining sales pitch, especially considering his product was pretty lame.
In addition to meeting elderly people, buying crappy products, or laughing at the expense of others, a foreigner travelling on the Seoul Metro can benefit from, and marvel at Korea’s impressive technological advances. Many subway stations are equipped with large flat screen TVs showing advertisements and also updating passengers on arrival times and delays. Moreover, the transit agencies are nearing completion of a wireless network that will allow for passengers to access the Internet on their hand held devices without losing their signal between stations. While riding the train, it is common to see teenagers watching music videos on their cell phones, or an ajuma visibly enthralled by the evening’s TV drama program she is watching on her palm-sized television.
Being non-Asian on the subway means that you will likely be stared at, talked about and/or photographed. I have decided to strike back in a sense and have become a lot less shy about taking photos during my lengthy subway journeys.
Tags: Metro, Seoul
