A man in his 40s living in Seoul has been ordered to pay more than 18 million KRW (about $13,000 USD) after repeatedly using his elderly mother's free subway card—a serious case of fare evasion.
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| Seoul Man Fined ₩18 Million for Using Mother's Senior Transit Card |
According to Seoul Metro, the man had used his 67-year-old mother's senior transit card for his daily subway commute. Investigators discovered over 400 unauthorized rides. As a result, he was charged the unpaid fares plus a penalty of 30 times the fare, amounting to more than 18 million KRW in total.
Seoul Metro reports that over the past three years (2022–2024), they’ve recorded an average of 56,000 fare evasion cases per year, collecting roughly 2.6 billion KRW in penalties annually.
In the first half of 2025 alone, authorities caught around 27,000 fare dodgers, collecting 1.3 billion KRW in extra charges.
Fare evasion methods include:
- Entering without a valid ticket or card
- Misusing free or discounted transit cards (such as senior or youth passes)
- Improper use of Climate Card (기후동행카드), a newer initiative that began stricter enforcement this year
Notably, enforcement against the Climate Card's (기후동행카드) illegal use has significantly increased since its full implementation this year. From January to May this year, 3,950 cases were detected, resulting in the collection of approximately 190 million KRW (about $137,000 USD). These cases primarily involved unauthorized use of another person's card, card sharing, and fraudulent use of youth discount cards.
Under the Railroad Business Act and Seoul Metro's passenger transport policy, fare evaders must pay the standard fare plus 30 times the fare as a penalty. Repeat offenders may be fined retroactively for past infractions.
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| Climate Card (기후동행카드) |
Learn Korean Through This News
Korean Text:
“어머니 명의의 우대용 교통카드를 이용해 출퇴근해온 40대 남성이 부정 승차로 적발돼 1800여만원의 부가 운임을 내게 됐다.”
Key Vocabulary:
- 어머니 명의 – in the mother’s name
- 우대용 교통카드 – discount transportation card (for seniors or eligible groups)
- 이용하다 – to use
- 출퇴근하다 – to commute to and from work
- 40대 남성 – man in his 40s
- 부정 승차 – fare evasion, illegal boarding
- 적발되다 – to be caught, to be discovered
- 부가 운임 – additional fare or penalty fare
- 내게 되다 – to end up having to pay
Grammar Notes:
- ~명의: indicates ownership or registration under a person’s name, 예: 어머니 명의의 교통카드 = a transportation card registered under the mother’s name
- ~로 적발되다: to be caught for (a wrongdoing), 예: 부정 승차로 적발돼 = caught for fare evasion
- ~게 되다: used to indicate a result or change in state, 예: 내게 됐다 = ended up having to pay
Translation:
"A man in his 40s who had been commuting using a discount transportation card registered under his mother’s name was caught for fare evasion and has been ordered to pay approximately 18 million won in additional fares."
References: YTN news, nate news, joongang news
Keywords
Seoul fare evasion, subway fraud South Korea, 엄카 부정승차, 지하철 부가운임, free transit card misuse Korea, climate companion card abuse, 서울교통공사 단속, 30배 벌금, subway fine Korea, 2025 transit violations Korea, 타인 우대용 교통카드 사용