Can All Subway Commuters Sit in Seats Designated for Pregnant Women in Seoul?

As I take the subway everyday in Seoul, there has one thing that has baffled me. There are seats on the train that are clearly designated for pregnant women. However, I've seen people from both genders and all ages act very differently when they get on the train and approach  those designated seats even if there are no pregnant women on the train. Here are some various scenarios that I've seen:

• If there are many seats available, pretty much no one chooses to sit in seats designated for pregnant women. 
• If only one or two seats are available and one of those seats is the seat for pregnant women, most older people will take that seat.
• Some younger ladies or younger men won't care at all and will just sit there using their phones. If someone has had too much to drink, they sit there anyway.
• Some older people sit in seats designated for pregnant women but if another seat opens up, they move to that seat.
• Others just avoid sitting in that seat all together and it doesn't matter on the age.

This is the first time that I've seen various reactions by Koreans and it seems as if no one knows the exact etiquette with regard to these kinds of seats. Personally when I see a seat that is all pink on the seat and pink on the floor in front of that seat, it makes me want to avoid it all together. First, I hate pink (laugh). Second, I don't like being at the center of attention. 

Therefore I did some research on the latest implementation to help pregnant women out. Here's an article that might help clear up the confusion:

Goverment Urges Train Riders To Give Up Their Seats To Pregnant Women

Conclusion: I think it's okay to sit in seats designated for pregnant women if there are no women that are "expecting" on the train. And if this technology is used by those expecting mothers, it would make it quite obvious that people would need to give up their seats or look like a complete jerk. However, I probably won't sit in those seats at all (even though it may not be wrong if I do). If younger people are never allowed to sit in the older people's seats even if there are no older people on the train, then I feel like many Koreans will apply that same logic to these seats designated for pregnant women. Also, because I'm a non-Korean, people might think I'm being an "ugly foreigner" because I'm not following the laws (or perceived ones) of the land. Therefore, I'll just either stand or wait until another seat opens up for me. It's not worth getting stared. If I can't relax when I'm sitting down, then there's no point in sitting in that seat.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy