"Passenger Who Delayed Subway by 7 Minutes Saying 'I Hate Wearing Masks'... Police Request Arrest Warrant"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The Guro Police Station in Seoul announced on the 24th that it has requested an arrest warrant for Mr. A, who is accused of causing a disturbance and delaying subway operations by getting angry when another passenger asked him to wear a mask.

According to the police, around 11:50 a.m. the previous day, Mr. A allegedly received a request from another passenger to "please wear a mask" while on a train near Oryu-dong Station on Subway Line 1. He responded by saying, "Why are you picking a fight?" and used abusive language, causing a disturbance that delayed the train operation for about 7 minutes.

The police explained the reason for requesting the arrest warrant, stating, "The mandatory wearing of masks on public transportation is directly related to public health, and Mr. A's disturbance, which caused the train to stop for 7 minutes, is not a minor issue."

Additionally, even after a station staff member handed him a mask, Mr. A threw it away and struck a nearby passenger's head with a bag, asking, "Did you report me?"

After getting off the train, Mr. A continued his disturbance by shouting at station employees and was eventually arrested by the police.

However, the police explained that since the passenger who was hit did not wish to press charges, Mr. A was not charged with assault.

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