Tag: Seoul

If measures are taken to reduce elderly drivers in South Korea it will be interesting to see what the impact is to the taxi industry which seems to have a lot of older drivers:

Authorities conduct a recovery work at the scene of the car crash that killed nine pedestrians at an intersection near Seoul City Hall in central Seoul, July 1. Yonhap

Public opinion is reigniting over the need for stricter measures for older drivers after a 68-year-old man involved in a deadly car crash near Seoul City Hall, which claimed nine lives, was identified.

However, there are growing concerns that this debate could deteriorate into indiscriminate criticism or personal attacks on older drivers.

Even before last week’s tragedy, how to deal with older drivers — specifically, encouraging older drivers to return their licenses — has been a hot-button issue as the number of drivers aged 65 or older is increasing steadily amid the nation’s aging population.

Just two days after the fatal car crash, a taxi driven by a man in his 70s crashed into the National Medical Center building, Wednesday, where an altar had been set up for one of the victims of the City Hall car crash, injuring three people, one seriously.

On Saturday, another incident occurred near Seoul Station, where a car driven by a man in his 80s struck pedestrians while attempting a U-turn, injuring two people. The vehicle continued for about 20 meters after hitting the first pedestrian before striking another and stopped after crashing into a wall.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The few times I have gotten off the subway at Jamsil Station makes me believe this finding is accurate; it is a very busy subway station:

Jamsil Station on Seoul’s Subway Line No. 2 has replaced Gangnam Station of the same line as the capital’s busiest station, with over 150,000 passengers using the station per day, Seoul Metro said Thursday.

Jamsil Station in southeastern Seoul served a daily average of 155,229 passengers in the first four months of this year, compared with Gangnam Station with a daily average of 151,607 passengers, according to Seoul Metro’s analysis of traffic at all stations on Lines 1-9.

Gangnam Station in southern Seoul had long ranked as the capital’s busiest station.

Gangnam and Jamsil are traditionally crowded because the subway is faster and more convenient there than cars due to severe traffic congestion.

Other busy stations with a daily average of over 100,000 passengers include Hongik University Station on Line No. 2 (147,356), Guro Digital Complex Station on Line No. 2 (106,564), Seoul Station on Line No. 1 (105,265), Sillim Station on Line No. 2 (103,582) and Samseong Station on Line No. 2 (101,475), the operator said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.