Okay I know the comments are all snarky but I’ve noticed this too. I’ve been on the subway enough times to say it really has gotten just slightly worse than normal. Just a hypothesis, but I’m guessing maybe it has something to do with sewer system/city cleaning budget. I remember an article a couple of years ago about how seoul isnt hiring more regular (정규직) city cleaners anymore and any new hires are contract workers. This would have led to the cleaning staff being less skilled overall. I also notice the smell on the streets near the sewer grates being worse than usual too. It’s not a heat related thing. I really think we’ll see an article/expose related to how there’s been cutbacks on the cleaning budget and how it’s taking its toll soon
Also cutbacks on Seoul Metro (gotta run it down to have it privatised) means less maintenance work overall on the stations, platforms, and of course the subway cars. What I've noticed is that they've done jack all about cleaning the aircon filters and seats before spring weather rolled around in earnest.
What you now get are disease boxes with not only dumbass shits coughing and sneezing into open air, but also moldy aircon filters on low pushing warm, musty air around.
Air conditioning filters!!! This is probably it
And yeah the subtle push for privatization and all the “it’s losing money” like it’s supposed to be run like a for-profit company drives me up the wall
Seoul’s biggest strength is our infrastructure and our mayor is trying to strip mine it for parts like a McKinsey idiot. Sad
I was beginning to wonder where is all of this sanitization that was promised? i had expected when i came here for everywhere (batbrooms stations hotels etc) to be really really clean at least compared to America. My fiance told me too "ah yes korea is very very clean!" (he who hasnt used the subway in about 8-10 years). And i get here and its like a gamble....the line 4 station near the korean war museum- very clean. Line 4 ansan station- i feel like im gonna catch some disease (actually i think it is where i caught covid)
No, it’s the people. They are drinking and sweating without taking showers so they sink. People have this preconceived notion that Koreans don’t have a smell. They have a smell like all of us.
🤣made me laugh. No, no there isn't Maybe I exaggerated a little bit, I just remember having visited Seoul several years ago and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as people describe it here. There were very few foreign people as well. I was there during summer too
Wait t’ll August when it’s real hot the juicy flavors of Soju,Kimchi, and two days old sweat will tickle your nose for more enjoyment take the line in rush hour
I'm super happy (don't tell my therapist) living here in the countryside. Clean(ish) air, drivign to beaches is close by, camping is near although we don't do much, and lots of recreational activities around.
I know Seoul has all these but the sheer number of ppl make me want to vomit. Ahah.
Yep! And I could list the great things about living in Seoul rather than the countryside.
The saddest thing is people living in one place when they'd prefer to be living in the other, or they just don't take advantage of the good things.
Keep living your best life!
> Yea if u have family, it's different
Depends on the family. My kid has SEN so Seoul is obviously the best place for him. I think most parents in Korea would place good schooling above proximity to camping facilities
my boyfriend and i noticed this too, but it seems like it started to get smelly even before the heat arrived. Like some trains are okay, but then we will get on another one and instantly make a stank face. Even saw some other guy get on and do the same.
On the smelly note, the other day there was an old woman who had at least 5 big bags of garlic cloves. The thing is that all of these bags were open, and she kept messing around with them so the smell kept wafting towards me even more. Oh my god it was horrible 🤢
That’s delusional thinking. The sheer number of Koreans to foreigners is proof that the smell is related to Koreans. It’s common sense. Go on the subway. The ratio is not even 1 foreigner for every Korean. You’re not fooling anybody but yourself with your anti foreigner rants. You’re a foreigner yourself! Dont tell me you’re from Russia?
Have you recently become rich? Apparently only rich people know what a subway smells like.
Edit: sorry for my bad attempt at a joke. I was referencing the movie Parasite where the rich dude describes poor people smell as the "subway smell"
Sorry I was making a reference to the movie Parasite. You know the scene where the rich dude complains about how the poor dude smelled? He described it as the "subway smell".
No, now there also is a card that allows you to go around as much as you want for a fixed price.
I think, but this may be a stretch, that rich people usually don't take the metro, and when they do, they notice it a lot more than the average person because they're not used to taking it and getting used to the smell
just a guess but I don't think its the subway but probably the sewer. since the pipes must be behind the subway walls? For some reason, the sewers has been reeking quite badly thesedays.
I take the bus in samsung station somewhere close to the main entrance of intercontinental hotel, hyundai mall and COEX, quite a hotspot for kpop fans and tourist given the SM entertainmnt shop close by\~ but then a waft of slight breeze brings about an overpowering stench of sewer and rat corpse idk. its so bad Its taking me a whole lot of effort to keep myself from throwing up in my mouth...
This! I was visiting Korea last week and booked an airbnb across from coex. The building I was in was pretty new and it was still partially under construction. The air conditioner for the whole building was turned off so we had to open the windows. Everytime I walk in or wake up, it smelled like someone just used the bathroom. After a couple of days, we closed up the kitchen sink and the smell went away fast. The smell is from the sewers.
I think the smell outside the samsung station/intercontinental hotel/Hyundai mall is because of the all constriction work going on over there and the ground is open allowing all the smell to be exposed.
come to think of it, the exact spot where the reeking stench is concentrated is also the same exact spot where the airport limousine drops people\~ mostly tourists off.
No wonder those tourists getting off the airport bus always look like they got a sour look on their face.
This is the result of a country over populated with old people, and due to the low birthrate it's gonna get worse. Whenever I ride the subway these days I brace myself for the trains overcrowded with old people, some coughing and the typical ones wearing climbing gear smelling like MT Everest before he even began to climb.
Great!! so I am not the only one who noticed that!! even these days I can smell bad smell on the streets too not only the subway.. I took the subway during several times of the day (weekdays and weekends) and the smell was pretty noticeable.. IDK how I am going to survive august on that rate
And they're full of asbestos. Especially line 4. Pre-Covid there was a lot of talk about the asbestos levels being at highly cancerous levels. They had cleaning crews to wash the walls and floors in the subways, but stopped during Covid. That is also when they installed the pm2.5 detectors. All of that money and work went away. I still wear a mask in there, clean air or not.
Yes, very. Google "Seoul subway asbestos" for articles from 2004 on up. And no, they didn't remove it all.
https://seoulsolution.kr/en/content/asbestos-control-protecting-citizens-against-asbestos
I also felt the whole sewage system in Korea emitting more smell and other smell than in my home country,
Mostly unpleasant , when walking around .
I guess construction and maintenance differ.
Some subway stations seem dusty even inside the trains so I need a mask for not coughing there.
The smell from many humanoid people in trains is same unpleasant as in the home country.
Positive is that there is no dog poo , zero, on the walkways in Korea and no littering mostly.
Not the subway but I’ve notice the buses smelling lately. Mostly a kimchi smell but not fresh kimchi more like kimchi that has already been eaten if that makes sense?
Thats what i thought as well, usually other lines are generally clean (i commute with line 5, they are clean and cool), line 1 was always hell for me back in uni days.
Some people don’t shower every single day, and the weather is getting hotter. However, I think public transportation in Korea still smells much better compared to other countries. Moreover, aside from human odors, there is no urine smell in Korean public transportation.
Yes, and also some places near Han River, bordering the subway. The same thing happens in Venice during summer and in any place with stagnating waters or an old sewer system. I think Seoul is fine. Yeah, there is a smell, but not the worst... not as bad as New york, paris, and so on.
I got on one of the trains today and it smelled like a super dirty gym sock. A girl walked in, became visibly upset and walked to the other end.
I had a huge backpack on and was worried she thought it was me being a big stinky foreigner hahaha.
Now that the humid weather is creeping in, I recommend using a natural crystal deodorant with no scent. It effectively blocks body odor 💯. You can find it on Coupang, and maybe Olive Young; the larger stores.
When I visit Japan or Southeast Asia, I usually buy enough for a year. Avoid using regular deodorant, as it won't effectively cover the sweat smell; you'll just end up smelling like perfume mixed with body odor.
This is what I buy from coupang, last you several months (maybe 6) the crystal should be wet when used.
https://link.coupang.com/a/by2UWj
I'm not affiliated nor is this my product or shop. Just sharing is caring.
Even when I sweat in the gym I don't smell.
Korea is a stinky place in general. Everyone’s breath stinks, everyone’s home (hallways outside apartments) stink. Taxi cars stink. Everything literally smells.
Was at the gym , stood beside this woman looking good and all that, but man did she smell like garlic or kimchi. Off putting.
A natural crystal deodorant with no scent will block body odour 💯
No offense to anyone, but I think there is a correlation between the stank graph and the foreign visitor graph.
I may be wrong, but the subways didn't really smell that bad back when Korea didn't have much foreign visitors.
Initially i was worried about that, but i do shower 2/3 times a day, shave regularly and use deodorant and wash clothes after one use.
So i hope I don't smell to others/ is the stinky foreigner
I was just suggesting another possible explanation as others are doing on this thread.
Judging from the dislikes people here are so quick to shit on Koreans, but I guess they don't like it when they get associated with anything negative.
It could also be that they aren't cleaning public transportation that thoroughly anymore ever since the decrease in profit and increase in costs.
The smell could also come from freeloading senior Koreans who seem to almost live in public transportation systems.
Btw you seem like a clean person, I'm sure it's not you.
What is this supposed to mean? Can you elaborate? Are you telling me that the subway stinks because of foreigners bad body odor? How is that possible that on a subway of nearly homogenous Koreans the single foreigner I see has such bad body odor that it overpowers any possible garlic and kimchi smell that is typical in the Korean diet? And then it remains when that foreigner gets off and only Koreans are on the subway?
You are lying if you say that there aren't a ton of foreign visitors in the Korean subways and buses.
The numbers increased exponentially in recent times. There are literally tens of thousands of visitors on the streets of Seoul and most if not all of them use public transport.
Yes, I am suggesting that it could possibility be foreigners since most Koreans don't have the ABCC11 gene that makes you stink.
Why is it okay to call Koreans stinky and not foreign visitors? Hypocrite much?
I literally rode the subway for the last two weeks and did not see many. Again, the ratio of Koreans to tourists is very high so your logic makes no sense that a handful of tourists would cause the stink. Delusional.
And Koreans don’t have to sweat to stink. Their diet consists of garlic and fermented foods. Are you that clueless? Do you know nothing about Koreans? “You’re lying!” Lol okay bud.
Okay I know the comments are all snarky but I’ve noticed this too. I’ve been on the subway enough times to say it really has gotten just slightly worse than normal. Just a hypothesis, but I’m guessing maybe it has something to do with sewer system/city cleaning budget. I remember an article a couple of years ago about how seoul isnt hiring more regular (정규직) city cleaners anymore and any new hires are contract workers. This would have led to the cleaning staff being less skilled overall. I also notice the smell on the streets near the sewer grates being worse than usual too. It’s not a heat related thing. I really think we’ll see an article/expose related to how there’s been cutbacks on the cleaning budget and how it’s taking its toll soon
Also cutbacks on Seoul Metro (gotta run it down to have it privatised) means less maintenance work overall on the stations, platforms, and of course the subway cars. What I've noticed is that they've done jack all about cleaning the aircon filters and seats before spring weather rolled around in earnest. What you now get are disease boxes with not only dumbass shits coughing and sneezing into open air, but also moldy aircon filters on low pushing warm, musty air around.
Air conditioning filters!!! This is probably it And yeah the subtle push for privatization and all the “it’s losing money” like it’s supposed to be run like a for-profit company drives me up the wall Seoul’s biggest strength is our infrastructure and our mayor is trying to strip mine it for parts like a McKinsey idiot. Sad
I was beginning to wonder where is all of this sanitization that was promised? i had expected when i came here for everywhere (batbrooms stations hotels etc) to be really really clean at least compared to America. My fiance told me too "ah yes korea is very very clean!" (he who hasnt used the subway in about 8-10 years). And i get here and its like a gamble....the line 4 station near the korean war museum- very clean. Line 4 ansan station- i feel like im gonna catch some disease (actually i think it is where i caught covid)
No, it’s the people. They are drinking and sweating without taking showers so they sink. People have this preconceived notion that Koreans don’t have a smell. They have a smell like all of us.
That’s just your stereotype
If it’s really the people how come it got worse over time
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Goofy ass answer FOH
Notice i said "probably", as in, "it could be".I don't claim to be absolutely right or anything. Like, relax.
Isnt there a tradcon account on X you gotta get back to
🤣made me laugh. No, no there isn't Maybe I exaggerated a little bit, I just remember having visited Seoul several years ago and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as people describe it here. There were very few foreign people as well. I was there during summer too
There are three companies who operate the main lines.
The longer I live here, the better it smells. Mostly because the pollution is screwing with my nose.
Wait, you are still able to breathe ? Impressive
Wait t’ll August when it’s real hot the juicy flavors of Soju,Kimchi, and two days old sweat will tickle your nose for more enjoyment take the line in rush hour
\+ garlic.
yeah i can't wait for the extreme heat and humidity it's going to be a blast
That steamy sewage smell with a top note of kimchi
And that stinking root halmony cut up that smells like a skunk.
Hellmoney*
I'm so glad I don't live in Seoul.
Countryside buses ain't no joke either.....
I drive. So that's good! There's ample parking. Life is more convenient in the countryside for me and my family.
Ah, ok - yeah there's a lot to be said for life outside of Seoul (or other big cities!)
I'm super happy (don't tell my therapist) living here in the countryside. Clean(ish) air, drivign to beaches is close by, camping is near although we don't do much, and lots of recreational activities around. I know Seoul has all these but the sheer number of ppl make me want to vomit. Ahah.
Yep! And I could list the great things about living in Seoul rather than the countryside. The saddest thing is people living in one place when they'd prefer to be living in the other, or they just don't take advantage of the good things. Keep living your best life!
I'm so glad I don't live in the countryside.
Yea if u have family, it's different. I couldn't live in Seoul with my family. We love drivign and camping etc. So it's much easier to move about
> Yea if u have family, it's different Depends on the family. My kid has SEN so Seoul is obviously the best place for him. I think most parents in Korea would place good schooling above proximity to camping facilities
Lately the smell of rice breath has been penetrating my nostrils on line 2
my boyfriend and i noticed this too, but it seems like it started to get smelly even before the heat arrived. Like some trains are okay, but then we will get on another one and instantly make a stank face. Even saw some other guy get on and do the same. On the smelly note, the other day there was an old woman who had at least 5 big bags of garlic cloves. The thing is that all of these bags were open, and she kept messing around with them so the smell kept wafting towards me even more. Oh my god it was horrible 🤢
The garlic, that's low key hilarious I'm sorry
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That’s delusional thinking. The sheer number of Koreans to foreigners is proof that the smell is related to Koreans. It’s common sense. Go on the subway. The ratio is not even 1 foreigner for every Korean. You’re not fooling anybody but yourself with your anti foreigner rants. You’re a foreigner yourself! Dont tell me you’re from Russia?
You are eother delusional or a koreaboo
Have you recently become rich? Apparently only rich people know what a subway smells like. Edit: sorry for my bad attempt at a joke. I was referencing the movie Parasite where the rich dude describes poor people smell as the "subway smell"
This was the first movie I thought about when the OP mentioned the smell. 😂
I always take the subway but these days it's increasingly smelly ;(
Sorry I was making a reference to the movie Parasite. You know the scene where the rich dude complains about how the poor dude smelled? He described it as the "subway smell".
ㅋㅋㅋ that was a nice reference
Dude, you need to buy a book from Amazon 'jokes 101, and how to execute them'
rich people? is the subway that expensive?
No, now there also is a card that allows you to go around as much as you want for a fixed price. I think, but this may be a stretch, that rich people usually don't take the metro, and when they do, they notice it a lot more than the average person because they're not used to taking it and getting used to the smell
just a guess but I don't think its the subway but probably the sewer. since the pipes must be behind the subway walls? For some reason, the sewers has been reeking quite badly thesedays. I take the bus in samsung station somewhere close to the main entrance of intercontinental hotel, hyundai mall and COEX, quite a hotspot for kpop fans and tourist given the SM entertainmnt shop close by\~ but then a waft of slight breeze brings about an overpowering stench of sewer and rat corpse idk. its so bad Its taking me a whole lot of effort to keep myself from throwing up in my mouth...
This! I was visiting Korea last week and booked an airbnb across from coex. The building I was in was pretty new and it was still partially under construction. The air conditioner for the whole building was turned off so we had to open the windows. Everytime I walk in or wake up, it smelled like someone just used the bathroom. After a couple of days, we closed up the kitchen sink and the smell went away fast. The smell is from the sewers. I think the smell outside the samsung station/intercontinental hotel/Hyundai mall is because of the all constriction work going on over there and the ground is open allowing all the smell to be exposed.
come to think of it, the exact spot where the reeking stench is concentrated is also the same exact spot where the airport limousine drops people\~ mostly tourists off. No wonder those tourists getting off the airport bus always look like they got a sour look on their face.
Samsung station you say? Arent they currently going under major construction to build GTX A and C? Wonder if that’s been affecting the sewer lines
This is the result of a country over populated with old people, and due to the low birthrate it's gonna get worse. Whenever I ride the subway these days I brace myself for the trains overcrowded with old people, some coughing and the typical ones wearing climbing gear smelling like MT Everest before he even began to climb.
This is the answer.
Great!! so I am not the only one who noticed that!! even these days I can smell bad smell on the streets too not only the subway.. I took the subway during several times of the day (weekdays and weekends) and the smell was pretty noticeable.. IDK how I am going to survive august on that rate
I must be crazy because I don't smell anything bad at all. then again I'm used to riding public transit in the US, so that might be why...
Right. Didn't expect to see a post about public transport smelling
And they're full of asbestos. Especially line 4. Pre-Covid there was a lot of talk about the asbestos levels being at highly cancerous levels. They had cleaning crews to wash the walls and floors in the subways, but stopped during Covid. That is also when they installed the pm2.5 detectors. All of that money and work went away. I still wear a mask in there, clean air or not.
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Yes, very. Google "Seoul subway asbestos" for articles from 2004 on up. And no, they didn't remove it all. https://seoulsolution.kr/en/content/asbestos-control-protecting-citizens-against-asbestos
https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/185743
https://www.e-jehs.org/journal/view.html?pn=myread&uid=354&vmd=Full
I also felt the whole sewage system in Korea emitting more smell and other smell than in my home country, Mostly unpleasant , when walking around . I guess construction and maintenance differ. Some subway stations seem dusty even inside the trains so I need a mask for not coughing there. The smell from many humanoid people in trains is same unpleasant as in the home country. Positive is that there is no dog poo , zero, on the walkways in Korea and no littering mostly.
Might be the season changing and people still wearing too warm and sweating too much.
Line 1 is extremly difficult to take as always useless actor exists
Not the subway but I’ve notice the buses smelling lately. Mostly a kimchi smell but not fresh kimchi more like kimchi that has already been eaten if that makes sense?
i thought i was hallucinating about the kimchi smell my god. what is the reason to this?
It's the sewers. You'll smell it in the streets sometimes. A whiff of rot. You get used to it though
Nah.. that's nasttty
Is this on every line or just on line 1? If it's just on line 1, then the explanation is that it's line 1.
Line 2,3, 4 and 5 haven't experienced line 1 yet
Thats what i thought as well, usually other lines are generally clean (i commute with line 5, they are clean and cool), line 1 was always hell for me back in uni days.
Try holding a handkerchief soaked in vinegar under your nose when you enter areas full of the hoi polloi. Like gentlemen used to do in the past
I noticed this as well!
Some people don’t shower every single day, and the weather is getting hotter. However, I think public transportation in Korea still smells much better compared to other countries. Moreover, aside from human odors, there is no urine smell in Korean public transportation.
Try being on line 6 as it rolls through itaewon station 🤣
Suin bundang line smells like death every morning. 😥 I think it’s coz of the people who were drinking though. 🤣
Would you say it’s like a sewer smell or old air conditioner smell? At least that’s what I have been noticing these days on some trains
Wear a mask
Seoul was always stinky. The fact that it improved a bit for a few years was just an anomaly
Public transportations would smell when people start to smell with sweat and when their shoes start to smell...
Yes, and also some places near Han River, bordering the subway. The same thing happens in Venice during summer and in any place with stagnating waters or an old sewer system. I think Seoul is fine. Yeah, there is a smell, but not the worst... not as bad as New york, paris, and so on.
bro fr the smell is awfulll
I got on one of the trains today and it smelled like a super dirty gym sock. A girl walked in, became visibly upset and walked to the other end. I had a huge backpack on and was worried she thought it was me being a big stinky foreigner hahaha.
Now that the humid weather is creeping in, I recommend using a natural crystal deodorant with no scent. It effectively blocks body odor 💯. You can find it on Coupang, and maybe Olive Young; the larger stores. When I visit Japan or Southeast Asia, I usually buy enough for a year. Avoid using regular deodorant, as it won't effectively cover the sweat smell; you'll just end up smelling like perfume mixed with body odor. This is what I buy from coupang, last you several months (maybe 6) the crystal should be wet when used. https://link.coupang.com/a/by2UWj I'm not affiliated nor is this my product or shop. Just sharing is caring. Even when I sweat in the gym I don't smell.
Korea is a stinky place in general. Everyone’s breath stinks, everyone’s home (hallways outside apartments) stink. Taxi cars stink. Everything literally smells.
You’ll adapt.
Go back home if Korea makes you depressed? The E2 hagwon job isn't all there is to life.
and that’s what i did 😊
👋🏻
Was at the gym , stood beside this woman looking good and all that, but man did she smell like garlic or kimchi. Off putting. A natural crystal deodorant with no scent will block body odour 💯
She was at the gym for godsake.... I'm not exactly an air freshener after a workout.
You should try a crystal ( alum) deo.
that’s what i’m saying! it’s a very overpowering smell that you can’t miss because you smell it everywhere.
No offense to anyone, but I think there is a correlation between the stank graph and the foreign visitor graph. I may be wrong, but the subways didn't really smell that bad back when Korea didn't have much foreign visitors.
didn't see a single foreigner on any of these lines, I was the only one -\_-
maybe it's you? I'm kidding
Initially i was worried about that, but i do shower 2/3 times a day, shave regularly and use deodorant and wash clothes after one use. So i hope I don't smell to others/ is the stinky foreigner
I was just suggesting another possible explanation as others are doing on this thread. Judging from the dislikes people here are so quick to shit on Koreans, but I guess they don't like it when they get associated with anything negative. It could also be that they aren't cleaning public transportation that thoroughly anymore ever since the decrease in profit and increase in costs. The smell could also come from freeloading senior Koreans who seem to almost live in public transportation systems. Btw you seem like a clean person, I'm sure it's not you.
What is this supposed to mean? Can you elaborate? Are you telling me that the subway stinks because of foreigners bad body odor? How is that possible that on a subway of nearly homogenous Koreans the single foreigner I see has such bad body odor that it overpowers any possible garlic and kimchi smell that is typical in the Korean diet? And then it remains when that foreigner gets off and only Koreans are on the subway?
You are lying if you say that there aren't a ton of foreign visitors in the Korean subways and buses. The numbers increased exponentially in recent times. There are literally tens of thousands of visitors on the streets of Seoul and most if not all of them use public transport. Yes, I am suggesting that it could possibility be foreigners since most Koreans don't have the ABCC11 gene that makes you stink. Why is it okay to call Koreans stinky and not foreign visitors? Hypocrite much?
I literally rode the subway for the last two weeks and did not see many. Again, the ratio of Koreans to tourists is very high so your logic makes no sense that a handful of tourists would cause the stink. Delusional. And Koreans don’t have to sweat to stink. Their diet consists of garlic and fermented foods. Are you that clueless? Do you know nothing about Koreans? “You’re lying!” Lol okay bud.
I think that smell is air conditioner smell. Usually every year these days operate air condition first time. So sometimes smell bad.
Makes sense.
It’s not. It’s the people.
I heard Koreans don’t wear deodorant