At a briefing, Blue House spokesperson Jeon Eun-su said that a sharp rise in oil prices has driven a surge in public-transit ridership. She said Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Growth Ha Jun-gyeong convened an emergency meeting yesterday to address peak-hour congestion.
The administration said that heavy crowding during the same time periods would create substantial disruption, so it plans to disperse commuting times as much as possible.
Jeon added that the government will first implement staggered work hours across the public sector. Officials will establish model flexible-work practices within public agencies and explore ways to extend them to the private sector.
She also said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will lead the design of a smart system to develop traffic policies for a range of scenarios.
Jeon said the government will remove interagency barriers and mount an all-out response to protect public safety, and she pledged to do everything possible so commuters can travel safely while bearing lower transportation costs.
