The Seoul Subway

Before you read: some questions to help you think about the topic and the words you might need.

What do you like about the public transport system where you live?

What do you like about it?

Sometimes you might be tempted to grumble about the Seoul Subway.  But if you’ve traveled around the world and used many different public transport systems, as I have, then you will appreciate some of the things that might make the Seoul subway the best in the world.

At some times the subway cars are congested, but in the middle of winter it’s wonderful to get a warm heated seat.

Next, you can always be connected with the free wifi, and if you’re bored, then there are the screens where you can hear  multi-language service announcements such as the next stop or reminders to not forget your bag, and if you lose that bag, then where you can find it. You can even know the stock price while watching Ronaldo score a goal.

The Seoul subway is really new and so this means wider cars. And with a lot of the subway being new, it means pleasant new stations that are clean and safe. One thing I thought was great, were the automatic doors to protect you from incoming trains.

 In many of these stations you can enjoy a shopping experience – underground shopping. You won’t find high end products in these shops, but you can find lots of affordable local fashion and accessories for your phone.

And on a humorous side, if you like people watching then you might see the occasional odd or strange person. I don’t know what some are yelling about, but it amuses me how every passenger will just ignore them. In my home country you would be quickly told to shut up. I realize there are unwritten rules about how to handle life on the subway that are different from what I know, and that is what makes traveling interesting, even if at first it seems strange.

And last but not least, the price. At about $1 to travel most anywhere in Seoul, it is really unbeatable value. It does make Seoul an attractive place to visit and get more bang for the buck. Even though Seoul has about 19 lines, it is really easy to navigate them, although I must say I did get lost at a couple of the huge interchanges such as on the older 1 and 2 lines. Having said that, I stood looking dazed for about 5 minutes and on several occasions someone came to my rescue to help me.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading.

 The answers are below the table.