TLDR: Seoul Metro is replacing the familiar voice of Kang Hee-seon, who has provided subway announcements for 29 years, with an AI-generated voice. This change is prompted by Ms. Kang’s ongoing health battles with colon cancer and aims to enhance operational sustainability and responsiveness for the transportation corporation.
After nearly three decades, the distinctive voice of veteran voice actor Kang Hee-seon, which has guided millions of commuters through the Seoul subway system, is being replaced by artificial intelligence. The Seoul Transportation Corporation announced on September 29, 2025, that the automatic Korean information broadcasting, a role Ms. Kang has held since 1996, will transition to an AI-generated voice.
The decision comes as Ms. Kang, widely recognized for her role as Shin-chan’s mother, Bok Mi-sun, has been battling colon cancer since her diagnosis in 2021. The disease has reportedly spread to her liver, necessitating dozens of chemotherapy treatments. Her health challenges recently led her to step down from her long-standing role in “Crayon Shin-chan Can’t Stop.”
The Seoul Transportation Corporation cited “limitations in terms of sustainability and emergency response due to voice actor health problems and external factors” as key reasons for the shift. The corporation aims to establish a more stable automatic information broadcasting system, promising “budget savings and rapid change of information broadcasting through the introduction of AI TTS (Text-to-Speech).” This move is expected to provide a “unified sound source to citizens.”
Artificial intelligence voice synthesis is not entirely new to South Korea’s public transportation. It has already been implemented on lines operated by the Korea Railroad Corporation, as well as on the Shinbundang Line, Sillim Line, and Gimpo Gold Line, which are all light rail systems. The new AI voice system will initially be piloted on Seoul Metro’s Line 6, which typically has fewer passengers, or on Lines 3 and 4, which are jointly operated with the Korea Railroad Corporation.
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Ms. Kang’s dedication to her craft, even amidst her health struggles, has been publicly acknowledged. Last year, she appeared on tvN’s entertainment program “You Quiz on the Block,” where she shared her personal story of continuing her voice acting work despite undergoing chemotherapy and surgery.
