A four-minute toilet stop by a subway conductor on Seoul’s Line 2 during rush hour delayed 125 trains and affected hundreds of passengers on Monday morning, according to reports.
The incident occurred at 8.11am in South Korea when the conductor, operating a train on the outer loop of the circular route, made an urgent stop at a station to use a restroom located on another floor.
While the train remained stationary, an engineer stood guard until the conductor returned four minutes and 16 seconds later, Seoul Metro reported, according to the Korea Herald.
Although trains continued to run at regular intervals, the necessary rescheduling resulted in delays of up to 20 minutes for 125 subsequent trains. Seoul Metro noted that the disruption was largely mitigated, and most passengers experienced minimal inconvenience.
Conductors on circular lines typically operate for two to three hours without breaks, Seoul Metro stated. While portable toilets are available for emergencies, in some cases, staff are compelled to seek restrooms far from platforms.
Social media users took to X, expressing concerns about labour rights and demanded additional mechanisms to mitigate such circumstances.
“This incident shows the realistic limitations of a one-man system,” wrote a user on X in Korean. “Although train punctuality and passenger safety are top priorities, a structure that requires one person to take responsibility for everything alone will inevitably reveal its limitations in an emergency situation. To solve this, it seems necessary to establish a system that can deploy support personnel in an emergency situation.”
“If we hire enough people so that there are no delays when going to the bathroom and protect workers’ rights, the system will run smoothly without any problems. What the heck, it has to be open until bathroom hours?” wrote another user.
The incident comes days after government data revealed that 33 Seoul subway conductors were caught operating the train while under the influence of alcohol. The alcohol content in their blood ranged from 0.02 per cent to 0.29 per cent, revealed Seoul Metro data submitted to Seoul Metropolitan Council.
However, only three faced punitive action, reported the Korea Herald. Two received month-long suspensions and the other had their wages deducted.
