According to a survey, complaints about vomit at subway station were highest in number on Fridays. - Bloomberg
SEOUL (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network): There has been a daily average of 13 reports of vomit found in Seoul’s subway stations and trains since 2020, with alcohol consumption being the primary cause, data showed on Thursday (April 6).
According to transport operators Seoul Metro on Thursday, 13,928 vomit-related complaints have been submitted to the company since 2020.
According to a survey, complaints were highest in number on Fridays, followed by Saturdays, accounting for 18.8 per cent and 16.2 per cent of the total reports, respectively.
When it comes to the time of day, the figure soars after 9pm and reaches its peak at 10pm. Reports submitted after 9pm account for 69.4 per cent of the total.
Seoul Metro suspects that a large portion of the vomit accidents were caused by passengers heading home after “hoesik” - official after-work company dinner and drinking gatherings - or private drinking parties.
The number of these reports was also highest at the end of April 2022, when nearly all social distancing rules were lifted except for the mask mandate, compared to the early days of the pandemic in 2020, when the operating hours of restaurants, cafes and multi-purpose facilities were restricted and when large gatherings were first banned,
In 2022, the number of reports was 5,059, higher than the figures in 2020 and 2021, 4,200 and 4,669, respectively, according to Seoul Metro.
Vomiting in public places has adverse impact on public hygiene issues and costs. In one station in particular, there were more than 20 reports of vomit being found on one day, Seoul Metro said, leading to increased labour for workers cleaning up the partially digested foods with paper towels.
Public puking also heightens safety risks with Seoul Metro sharing the case of passengers in their 50s who slipped on vomit, fell and permanently injured their knees.
Seoul Metro requested on Thursday for passengers to report any vomit discoveries as fast as they can to reduce such risks and inconveniences.
