Posts tagged as:

subway

This does not inspire confidence

by Cat on June 5, 2007

I think I’ll be sticking to the buses and cabs for the next several days.

Apparently, a section of railbed collapsed in northwestern Seoul yesterday, and the Korean Railroad Corp. kept trains running through the area up until the ground gave way, despite warnings that a nearby construction accident was endangering the track.

track collapse

Pic from the JoongAng Ilbo.

Police said the accident happened after retaining walls on a subway construction site next to the railway collapsed, spilling sand under the railway into the construction site and collapsing the track bed.
It could have been worse.
A train carrying around 150 passengers passed the accident spot seven minutes before it collapsed, even after the Korea Railroad Corp., the state-run operator of the railway, was informed that signs of a railway collapse were appearing just 17 minutes before the accident.
Ssangyong Engineering and Construction, which was in charge of the project next to the railway, said it detected an impending collapse at 4:30 p.m., 44 minutes before the accident, and withdrew all of its workers from the construction site, according to police.
Police said the company informed the Korea Railroad Corp. at 4:57 p.m.
But the railway operator allowed trains to keep running, merely slowing their speed to 20 kilometers per hour, police said.
Of four trains passing the accident spot after that, two were carrying around 150 passengers each. One bound for Munsan passed at 5:02 p.m. and one bound for Seoul passed at 5:07 p.m.

But I bet no one had to wait on a late train! And, that’s the important thing, right?

Lips apart, teeth together

by Cat on October 24, 2006

You see some strange things on the subway.

Last night, I was coming home late after going to a meeting of the Seoul International Women’s Association (SIWA) Working Women’s Network. (We watched an excellent KBS documentary, Family: Korean Women Rewriting Tradition, which I want to write more about later.)

Anyway, when the train pulled into Apgujeong, a very stylish looking couple was the first in line waiting to board. He wore a dark pin-stripe suit, color-coordinated tie, crisp white shirt, untucked, to give just the right rakish, out-after-work look. She was perfectly attired in a black velvet blazer, pleated black wool skirt and matching pumps. Her long black hair fell to her waist and was immaculate. Her makeup could have been professionally done. They looked to be in their early to mid 20s.

They waited side by side for the doors to open and when they did, you couldn’t help but notice something a little off. His arm was draped over her shoulders in a gentle embrace. They seemed quite relaxed. But the index finger of his right hand, the one attached to the arm over her shoulders, was quite clearly caught between her teeth. They were standing there, together, seemingly nonchalant. But she was biting down on his finger.

As the passengers disembarked, the couple calmly stepped onto the train—still side-by-side—and proceeded to stand right in front of where I was sitting, with the guy still ‘leashed,’ as it were.

After a few seconds, and what I can only interpret as some gentle requests (’OK. Come on . . .OK. Seriously. Let go.’). She relaxed her jaw and released his hand. I swear, I am not making this up.

After freeing his finger, the woman shot a cool sidelong glance at her partner, as if to say, ‘Yeah? Well, remember this next time.’

I can only imagine what led to the finger bite in the first place. Maybe the hand tried to stray someplace it shouldn’t. Maybe he tried to cover her mouth when she laughed or talked on the phone. Whatever it was, I think she established quite an effective deterrent to a recurrence.

He didn’t seem too perturbed and even laughed—in a kind of incredulous, shocked way—after she let go of him. The moment the subway door opened was definitely one of those times when I wished I’d had my camera and didn’t. I had the perfect shot.

So, what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on the subway?

Moblogging version 0.2

by Cat on July 23, 2006


At City Hall Station, originally uploaded by cathilee.

I join the legions of Seoullites taking pictures with their camera phone. I can take pictures and then email them to myself, or send them straight to the Flickr photo stream.

On my trial run, I emailed the pic to my own email account, then uploaded it later. Sort of like the ’slow food’ version of moblogging. The quality definitely leaves something to be desired. But, if we’re ever on the same flight with Hines Ward again, I’ll be prepared.