"Please Wear a Mask" 'NO Mask Tribe' Prevails Despite COVID-19 Resurgence

"Please wear a mask" request leads to assault
67 'No Mask' offenders causing disturbances on buses and taxis arrested in Gyeonggi Province

Citizens wearing masks are boarding a bus. The following photos are unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "I don't want to wear a mask!"

Although the mandatory mask-wearing policy on public transportation such as buses and subways has been in effect for three months, some passengers still do not wear masks, hindering the prevention of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). In particular, there are calls to strengthen punishments as some of these individuals have even assaulted bus or taxi drivers who refused to allow boarding due to mask non-compliance.

According to media reports, at around 7:50 a.m. on the 14th, a passenger in his 60s, Mr. A, boarded a bus near Dapsimni Station in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, without properly wearing a mask and caused a disturbance against the driver who tried to stop him.

When the bus driver asked Mr. A to "wear the mask properly," he grabbed the driver's hair and assaulted him, while also verbally abusing and provoking other passengers who tried to intervene, disrupting the bus operation for 15 minutes. Police who arrived at the scene arrested Mr. A on charges of assault and other offenses.

Citizens are wearing masks while boarding a taxi. [Image source=Yonhap News]

This is not the first case of passengers assaulting drivers or citizens over mask-wearing disputes. On the 18th, a 66-year-old passenger, Mr. B, on a city bus in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, verbally abused the driver who requested him to wear a mask. Mr. B refused to wear a mask and caused a disturbance for about 20 minutes, resulting in around 20 passengers having to disembark and disrupting the bus operation.

Meanwhile, on the 7th in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, a 59-year-old passenger, Mr. C, who was not wearing a mask, grabbed the waist of the bus driver who asked him to wear a mask and struck his face once with his hand, assaulting him.

Incidents and accidents related to mask non-compliance continue unabated. The Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced that from the end of June to recently, they have apprehended 67 passengers on charges including assaulting drivers who requested mask-wearing or obstructing operations.

Among them, 34 were booked without detention on charges of assault and injury, 27 on charges of obstruction of business, and the remaining 6 on other charges such as threats and insults.

Citizens wearing masks are riding on a Seoul Subway Line 2 train. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As crimes related to mask non-compliance increase, calls to strengthen related punishments are growing louder. Despite the fact that assaulting bus or taxi drivers is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won, such incidents continue to occur.

A taxi driver in his 50s, Mr. Lee, said, "Passengers' awareness has significantly dropped these days," expressing frustration over recent troubles caused by passengers not wearing masks.

He lamented, "Especially among intoxicated passengers, it is hard to find anyone wearing a mask," adding, "Recently, some passengers recklessly insisted, saying 'Since the driver is wearing one, I'm fine,' or 'I'm healthy, so I won't catch COVID-19.'"

He continued, "I'm worried that asking mask non-wearers to wear masks might lead to fights," and expressed, "I wish mask-wearing among passengers could be enforced for people like us."

There are also criticisms that even when mask non-wearers are reported on the subway, proper measures are not taken.

A 27-year-old office worker, Mr. Kim, said, "I take the first train to work early in the morning and encounter passengers not wearing masks every morning on the subway," adding, "I got angry and reported it, but since it was early dawn, there were few security personnel on duty, so they said they couldn't do anything."

Experts point out that some citizens' complacent attitudes are the problem. Professor Kwak Geumju of the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University said, "There are cases where individuals do not recognize the need to wear masks due to personal circumstances, and factors such as hot weather influence the behavior of not wearing masks," adding, "Also, if one or two people do not wear masks on public transportation, others may think, 'I don't have to wear one either.'"

Meanwhile, following Gyeonggi Province, Jeollabuk-do has issued an administrative order mandating mask-wearing to prevent the resurgence of COVID-19.

Under this measure, residents and visitors in Jeollabuk-do must wear masks indoors where many people gather, except in unavoidable cases such as eating, until the order is lifted. This differs from Gyeonggi Province's measure, which mandates mask-wearing throughout the entire area, including both indoors and outdoors.

Jeollabuk-do Governor Song Ha-jin said, "Mandatory mask-wearing is an unavoidable preemptive measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19," and urged, "Please thoroughly follow the three rules: wearing masks indoors, refraining from small gatherings at religious facilities and promoting non-face-to-face worship, and avoiding visits to other regions."

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