Members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination take part in a subway protest. [Newsis]
Members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination take part in a subway protest. [Newsis]

The Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, known by its Korean acronym Jeonjangnyeon, will resume its "rush-hour subway boarding protests" after a six-month suspension.

The group announced Tuesday that it will restart the protests Wednesday at 8 a.m. on the Line 1 platform at City Hall Station, heading toward Seoul Station, marking the 69th round of its rush-hour subway boarding campaign.

Jeonjangnyeon halted the subway protests after Jan. 2, accepting a request from Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-bae to suspend the demonstrations.

The group said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon "has been continuously disparaging and distorting the rights-based customized public jobs program for people with severe disabilities, and is evading responsibility for reinstating 400 severely disabled workers who were dismissed."

The rights-based public jobs program was a Seoul city initiative that used public funding to create employment for people with severe disabilities who struggle with daily life, as well as for those who had left institutional care. Launched in 2020, the program was abolished in 2024 under Mayor Oh.

Starting Wednesday, the group will also hold weekly bus boarding protests every Wednesday at 8 a.m. at Hyehwa Rotary in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The bus protest comes about a month after a bus-blocking demonstration on June 2.

Meanwhile, Park Gyeong-seok, co-chair of Jeonjangnyeon, was sentenced to a fine of 2 million won ($1,300) on charges including violation of the Assembly and Demonstration Act. He had been indicted on charges of holding an unauthorized assembly and obstructing bus operations by blocking vehicles on June 11.


husn7@heraldcorp.com