Seoul and Busan are facing mounting financial pressure from providing free subway rides to designated groups, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of local governments' operation of the critical public transit system. The service, introduced in 1984 for people aged 65 or older, has now accumulated losses worth hundreds of billions of won for subway operators. While the ministries responsible for the laws underpinning the program have remained largely aloof to the growing financial strain, the only immediate relief in sight is a bill pending before a National Assembly standing committee. The losses are staggering, and as the population ages, the number of people who benefit from the service grows, fueling the problem. Seoul Metro, under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, operates subway lines 1 through 8 across Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. Last year alone, it saw an operational deficit of 450 billion won ($290 million) from free rides, according to the National Assembly Research Service (NARS). That figure accounted for 54 percent of the company’s entire deficit