Stand on one side or both? Korea mulls nationwide escalator etiquette
Participants during a debate hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at Yonsei University on Saturday were sharply divided over escalator etiquette. While a majority called for standing on both sides for safety and formally adopting the practice as government policy, a vocal opposing camp argued that passengers should stand on one side during rush hour. Standing on one side takes root…
The debate over escalator etiquette in Korea, held by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at Yonsei University, saw participants sharply divided on the matter. While the majority advocated for standing on both sides for safety, a vocal minority argued that passengers should stand on one side during rush hour. This one-side standing practice gained traction during the 2002 World Cup and became widespread between 1998 and 2008, with the World Cup playing a crucial role in its nationwide adoption.
Government guidelines advise against walking or running on escalators, but the one-side standing practice became the norm.
Proponents believed that passengers should leave one side clear for those in a hurry. However, this practice led to more accidents, with the number nearly doubling from 44 in 2007 to 85 in 2008, according to the National Elevator Information Center. Equipment maintenance also became a concern due to this trend.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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