Jeon Jang-yeon celebrates ‘1000 days of subway propaganda’… “If transportation rights are not guaranteed, I will ride again.”

Protests postponed until local elections in June... Pay attention to the results of the first trial for tram traffic obstruction

On the 19th, the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeon Jang-yeon) held a rally to mark the 1,000th day of subway propaganda on the way to work and urged the Seoul Metropolitan Government to make a decision to guarantee the right to mobility for the disabled. He also hinted at the possibility of resuming protests, saying that if there is no policy change from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, “I will have no choice but to take the subway again.” Jeon Jang-yeon has temporarily suspended subway protests until the local elections in June following a policy meeting with the Seoul mayoral candidates of the Democratic Party of Korea.

On the morning of the 19th, Jeon Jang-yeon held the '1000 Days of Subway Propaganda Exhibition on the way to work' event at Hyehwa Station on Subway Line 4 in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Justice Party leader Kwon Young-guk, as well as officials from the Progressive Party and the Basic Income Party, also attended the event. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who had previously been offered a meeting by Jeon Jang-yeon, did not attend.

Immediately after the 1,000-day propaganda campaign began, a performance of writing and attaching post-it notes was held. Soon, more than 40 post-it notes were attached to the platform. The post-it notes included things like, ‘1,000 days will pass, 10,000 days will pass, we won’t get tired until 100,000 days,’ and ‘We are all mobile weak or people who will become mobile weak.’

Jeon Jang-yeon criticized the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Mayor Oh Se-hoon for ignoring the guarantee of actual rights by dismissing the right to mobility for people with disabilities as a matter of conflict. It was also made clear that if the Seoul Metropolitan Government does not change its policy, it may resume subway riding. Park Gyeong-seok, CEO of Jeon Jang-yeon, said, “If the (movement) rights that the city of Seoul is talking about are not actually guaranteed, we will have no choice but to take the subway again.”

Taking advantage of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 2021, Jeon Jang-yeon has been conducting a propaganda campaign demanding guaranteed mobility rights for the disabled on subway platforms during rush hour. As a result, trains were delayed for up to tens of minutes. There were about 4,500 inconvenience and complaint complaints filed with the Seoul Transportation Corporation last year alone. On this day, there was also friction with some citizens during the event. One man protested by shouting, “Oh, it’s so loud,” while another man uttered an expletive.

Jeon Jang-yeon has decided to temporarily suspend subway protests until the day of the June 3 local elections. This is while accepting the proposal to postpone protests and hold policy meetings by Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-bae, who announced his intention to run for mayor of Seoul.
 

Investigation and trial are in progress... High probability of being guilty of 'obstructing tram traffic'

Some predict that the result of the first trial verdict on charges of obstructing tram traffic due to the subway protest by some activists of Jeon Jang-yeon will have an impact on the way Jeon Jang-yeon protests in the future.

The police are investigating after receiving a number of complaints and accusations from the Seoul Transportation Corporation and civic groups regarding Jeon Jang-yeon activists, including obstruction of business and tram traffic obstruction. On the 29th, the results of the first trial on charges of obstructing tram traffic against two Jeon Jang-yeon activists will be announced. They were put on trial on charges of disrupting the smooth operation of trains during a propaganda campaign in April 2022 and April 2023.

Experts predicted that there was a good chance that the court would find Jeon Jang-yeon activists guilty of obstructing tram traffic. Kwak Jun-ho, a lawyer at the Cheong Law Firm, said, "It will be difficult for the court to say no to obstruction, so there is a high possibility that he will be found guilty. However, we will try to keep the sentence to a minimum."

Seok Sang-yeop, a lawyer at Ilo Law Firm, also said, "The likelihood of a guilty verdict when obstructing traffic during a rally is low. However, when tram traffic is repeatedly and deliberately obstructed, as in this case, causing damage to citizens, the likelihood of a guilty verdict is higher than in normal cases." He said, "If the level of obstruction is to the extent of delaying the operation of the train, such as actually forcing the train door to open or lying on the tracks, (the charge) is established."

There are observations that if a guilty verdict is found, propaganda campaigns within the station will be possible, but it will be difficult to maintain the method of protest that actively delays subway operation. In particular, it is expected that if a guilty verdict is found, the investigative agency may conduct a more active investigation or even consider arresting the offender in the future.

Attorney Nam Kwon-yul of Daeryun Law Firm said, “These precedents effectively function as guidelines for investigative agencies and have the effect of maintaining consistent standards and directions for investigation and prosecution of similar protest actions.”
 

Reporter Park Jin-ho (zzino@mt.co.kr) Reporter Kim Seo-hyeon (ssn3592@mt.co.kr)

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Jeon Jang-yeon marks '1000 days of subway propaganda'... “If transportation rights are not guaranteed, I will ride again” (Shortcut)