"Hey XX, if you're a guard, you should bark" Am I unknowingly abusing my power?

Woman in her 30s Causes Disturbance Against Security Guard at Department Store
Throws Food at Security Guard's Face and Acts Out
Abuse Cases Common in Apartments Too... Security Guards Forced to Greet Residents on Their Way to Work
8 out of 10 Say "Power Abuse Is Serious in Our Society"

On the 10th, a video showing a woman in her 30s, Ms. A, causing a disturbance by assaulting and verbally abusing a department store employee at a fast food restaurant inside a department store in Jung-gu, Seoul, spread online, prompting the police to launch an investigation. Photo by YouTube video capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As news emerged of a woman in her 30s causing a disturbance by throwing food at security guards in a fast-food outlet inside a department store in Seoul, criticism has arisen questioning whether the widespread problem of gapjil in our society is surfacing once again.

In the past, a security guard at an apartment complex was required to greet residents politely as they arrived for work. Another apartment security guard was verbally abused with remarks such as "Do you bark at the owner too, dog?" and was even assaulted.

According to a survey, citizens still consider the issue of gapjil in our society to be serious.

On the 2nd, the Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul announced that they are investigating a woman in her 30s, identified as Ms. A, on charges of causing a disturbance by throwing items in a fast-food store and assaulting security guards.

The incident came to light after a video was uploaded on YouTube on the 10th. In the video, Ms. A sprays a drink at a security guard and throws a cup.

She also overturns a tray with hamburgers and other items toward the security guard. Ms. A raises her voice and verbally abuses the guard with phrases like "Where are you touching?" and "Get lost."

Ms. A also slaps the cheek of another security guard who tried to stop her from entering the department store. The video ends with security guards holding Ms. A’s arms and escorting her away. The police are investigating the exact circumstances of the incident.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "'Gapjil' we only saw in articles is happening in our apartment..."

The problem is that this kind of gapjil is not the first occurrence. In the past, all security guards in one apartment complex were forced to greet residents on their way to work, which sparked controversy.

Eventually, a student exposed this online and received much criticism from netizens. The student lamented, "I never thought the 'gapjil' I only saw in articles would happen in our apartment."

Meanwhile, there was also a case where a resident in his 40s was prosecuted for verbally abusing and assaulting a security guard in his 70s because the guard did not open the apartment gate quickly enough.

On July 10, 2018, around 9 p.m., Mr. B (49), a resident of an apartment in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, tried to enter the apartment by car but the gate did not open, so he asked security guard Mr. C (71) to open the gate.

When Mr. C explained that the vehicle needed to be registered as a resident’s car, Mr. B protested but suddenly stopped his car and went to the security office to complain aggressively.

During this process, Mr. C pushed Mr. B’s shoulder, asking him to leave the security office, and Mr. B retaliated by hitting Mr. C’s left neck once and pushing him down.

He then hurled abusive language, saying, "If you’re a security guard, you should bark properly, you dog, do you bark at the owner too, dog?" As a result, Mr. C fell and injured his wrist, receiving a medical diagnosis requiring two weeks of treatment.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ 8 out of 10 citizens say gapjil is serious in our society

According to a survey, 8 out of 10 citizens still believe that gapjil in our society is serious. More than 60% of respondents said they "just endured it" when they experienced gapjil.

On the 12th, the Office for Government Policy Coordination conducted a survey targeting 2,500 men and women aged 16 to 69 nationwide to assess public awareness of gapjil and the government's efforts to eradicate it. Among respondents, 85.9% said "gapjil in our society is serious."

This is a 4.1 percentage point decrease from the previous year, but the percentage of those who said they "directly experienced gapjil and recognized its seriousness" increased by 0.9 percentage points to 25.7%.

The relationships where gapjil was most severe were "superior-subordinate relationships in the workplace" (24.8%), "head office-partner company relationships" (24.0%), "service user-service worker relationships" (16.1%), and "public institution-general citizen relationships" (11.0%).

The head office-partner company relationship decreased by 5.0 percentage points compared to the previous year, and the service user-service worker relationship also decreased by 4.7 percentage points, while the public institution-general citizen relationship increased by 5.6 percentage points.

No Hyung-wook, head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said, "Since its launch, the government has made many efforts to eradicate gapjil, but it has been confirmed that a significant number of citizens still feel that gapjil is serious. In particular, there is a clear difference in perception between perpetrators and victims."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.