![A priority seat for pregnant women on a Seoul subway train. This photo is unrelated to the incident. [Newsis]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/11/news-p.v1.20260611.6726b380ba15442bb643af6352c481cf_P1.jpg)
A man on a Seoul subway train refused to give up a priority seat designated for pregnant women, insisting the seat was "not a right," according to an eyewitness account that has spread widely online.
The account was posted June 9 on the social media platform Threads, describing a confrontation between a male passenger and a pregnant woman aboard a Gyeongui-Jungang Line train.
The poster, identified only as A, said the incident began suddenly while riding a train departing from Seoul Station. "I looked up and saw a young man sitting in the priority seat for pregnant women, arguing with a woman who appeared to be in early pregnancy," A wrote.
A said the pregnant woman appeared to have asked the man to give up the seat, but he refused, arguing that passengers were not automatically entitled to claim the priority seat.
As the standoff dragged on, a middle-aged man seated elsewhere offered his seat to the pregnant woman. "The man who gave up his seat stood for the rest of the journey, while the man who refused stayed seated until the end," A wrote.
The story drew wide reaction online. Commenters called the man's behavior "ignorant and shameless," expressed sympathy that a pregnant woman had to ask for the seat herself, and suggested the designation be changed from a "courtesy seat" to a reserved or exclusive seat for pregnant women.
choigo@heraldcorp.com
