Thousands of Korean people take the train every day. More than 60% of Korean adults use the subway as their prime method of transportation. In rush hours it is so packed that Koreans call it jiokcheol, the hell Train, and it truly lives up to its name.
Because public transports like the subway are for everyone, some etiquettes must be kept. Otherwise, it can be very uncivil. There are many etiquettes, but today we will focus on leg spreading and what the Korean government has come up with to prevent this from happening.
Have you felt a person next to you spreading his or her legs? How did it feel? Very uncomfortable and disturbing, right? I have experienced a man sitting next to me, spreading his legs and invade my personal space. These people who spread their legs are very inconsiderate. It's worse in summer when many people wear shorts and skirts, and another person touching your bare skin will make you feel uncomfortable.
To prevent this, the Korean government has launched a campaign to promote the use of public transport with manners.
Source: Incheon Transportation Corporation
Starting end of May 2020, the Incheon Department of Transportation began to put foot placement stickers on the front of the seat to specify where your feet should be placed while seated. Currently, Incheon subway has 96 stickers installed in Line 1 and 170 stickers in Line 2.
This idea was a great idea from the government. The stickers will always remind passengers not to spread their legs. We hope this could change the habits of some Korea uncles who spread their legs.
Although this is only implemented on the Incheon subway, the reaction from the Incheon community about the foot placement sticker was extremely positive. We look forward to seeing these stickers in Seoul soon.
If you have questions or comments about the blog post, please leave them down below or email us at help@creatrip.com.
