'Maskless Boarding and Disturbance' Bus Passengers Arrested One After Another... Police to Take Strict Measures (Comprehensive)

On the 26th, when the government implemented measures to restrict the use of public transportation by citizens not wearing masks, people at Sadang Station bus stop in Seoul were using the bus while wearing masks. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Jeong Dong-hoon] Passengers who boarded buses without wearing masks were arrested one after another after causing disturbances such as verbally abusing bus drivers who asked them to wear masks or refusing to get off.

According to the Guro Police Station in Seoul on the 17th, at around 10:30 p.m. on the 16th, Mr. A boarded a city bus at a bus stop in Guro-gu, Seoul without wearing a mask. He verbally abused the bus driver who asked him to wear a mask and caused a disturbance. Police who responded to the report arrested Mr. A on charges of obstruction of business.

There was another case where a passenger without a mask refused the bus driver's request to get off and caused a commotion before being arrested.

According to the Jungbu Police Station in Seoul, Mr. B boarded a city bus without wearing a mask at a bus stop near the Yaksu-dong Community Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, at around 3 p.m. on the 15th.

The bus driver stopped the bus and asked him to get off, but Mr. B resisted and argued with the driver for 30 minutes. At that time, there were about 10 passengers on the bus. These passengers got off the bus as it could not depart due to Mr. B's non-cooperation. The Jungbu Police Station in Seoul stated that Mr. A was arrested on charges of obstruction of business and is under investigation.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has decided to take strong action against passengers who cause problems in using public transportation by not wearing masks. Earlier, at a press conference, Seoul Police Commissioner Lee Yong-pyo stated, "Wearing masks on public transportation is mandatory, and we plan to take strict measures against reports of disputes or disturbances occurring during the process of boarding without wearing masks." The police plan to respond strictly if similar cases occur in the future, such as refusing legitimate boarding refusals.

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