Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon Opposition Front-runners Unite to Resolve Standing-room-only Bus Problem

Park Won-soon, Kim Jin-pyo, and Song Young-gil, opposition Democratic Party candidates competing fiercely against Saenuri Party candidates in the Seoul metropolitan area ahead of the June 4 local elections, agreed on the 21st to make joint efforts to resolve the standing-room-only bus problem if elected.

Park Won-soon, Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor; Kim Jin-pyo, candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor; and Song Young-gil, candidate for Incheon mayor, held a press conference at Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul that afternoon and signed an agreement on mutual development and cooperation for the Seoul metropolitan area based on these points.

Currently, an estimated over 300,000 citizens use metropolitan buses daily across Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon. However, approximately half of passengers lack seats and ride the buses standing. This raises concerns about significant damage in the event of traffic accidents.

Accordingly, the three candidates decided to cooperate jointly to ensure transportation safety in the Seoul metropolitan area, including addressing the safety issues of standing-room-only buses.

Separate from joint efforts by the three local governments, the candidates demanded of the government: "Do not continue to neglect transportation insecurity in the Seoul metropolitan area, and spare no national treasury funds to guarantee transportation safety."

Furthermore, they decided to explore ways to expand public transportation options, including buses and railways, to alleviate traffic congestion in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Reflecting social attention to safety following the Sewol ferry disaster, the candidates decided to establish a joint disaster response system to prepare for various disasters including natural disasters in the Seoul metropolitan area.