The Korea Consumer Agency (KOCA) has issued a consumer safety advisory as accidents involving rubber shoes and other items getting caught in escalators continue to occur.

According to the KOCA, a total of 113 escalator entrapment accidents were reported to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) over the past five years (2021–2025), with more than 20 cases recorded annually since 2022.

Among the 109 cases where the victim's age was verified, young children aged 7 or younger accounted for the largest share at 37 cases (33.9%), while seniors aged 65 or older accounted for 19 cases (17.4%), meaning these two age groups made up more than half of the total.

Young adults aged 19 to 34 accounted for 15 cases (13.8%).

Cases involving direct body parts getting caught numbered 66 (60.6%), while items getting caught accounted for 43 cases (39.4%). Notably, body entrapment accounted for 28 cases (75.7%) among young children, whereas item entrapment accounted for 13 cases (68.4%) among seniors.

All nine item entrapment cases involving young children were caused by shoes, with three of them involving rubber shoes.

Among senior item entrapment accidents, belongings such as bags and umbrellas were the most common at 6 cases, followed by clothing and shoes.

The KOCA urged the public to be cautious to prevent rubber shoes, shoelaces, and long clothing hems from getting caught, and to stand inside the yellow safety lines to prevent items from falling into the gaps between steps.

It also advised that if an entrapment accident occurs, individuals should alert people nearby and press the emergency stop button, while avoiding forcefully pulling out trapped shoes or clothing and quickly removing oneself from them instead.

(Photo: Yonhap News)