Convenience Store Employee's Only Fault... Receiving Punches in Response to 'Mask Wearing and Eating Prohibited' Requests

Convenience Store Employee's Mask Wearing Request Leads to Arrest of 50s Man for Punching

Man Assaults Store Manager Who Blocked Entry for Improper Mask Wearing
Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison in First Trial

Disturbance Erupts When Convenience Store Staff Prevent Nighttime Eating

On the 2nd, a notice about mask-wearing and prohibition of nighttime eating is posted at a convenience store in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Crimes are occurring against convenience store employees who request mask-wearing and prohibit nighttime eating. With the strengthening of social distancing measures, compliance with quarantine rules inside convenience stores is natural, but some not only fail to comply but also respond to legitimate requests with fists.

According to the police on the 2nd, the Jecheon Police Station in Chungbuk arrested a man in his 50s, Mr. A, who assaulted a convenience store employee asking him to wear a mask on December 14 last year.

At a convenience store in Jecheon-si, Chungbuk, Mr. A repeatedly used violence when the employee requested him to wear a mask. At the time of the crime, Mr. A said, "Why are you telling customers to wear or not wear masks? I am not a patient with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19)," and reportedly told the police, "I was angry because I was treated like a COVID-19 confirmed patient."

The convenience store employee said that at the time, a COVID-19 confirmed case had occurred in Jecheon, so they requested mask-wearing, but they were assaulted and developed trauma.

In November last year, Mr. Lee (43), who tried to enter a convenience store without properly wearing a mask and was stopped by the store manager, was sentenced to eight months in prison in the first trial for indiscriminate assault.

Mr. Lee was prosecuted for assaulting store manager Mr. B when he tried to enter a convenience store in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on September 18 last year without properly wearing a mask.

When his entry was blocked, Mr. Lee became angry and cursed, and after Mr. B called the police and told him to wait, he repeatedly assaulted his face. Mr. Lee has a criminal record for injury and special intimidation charges and committed the crime during his probation period.

In Incheon, an incident occurred where a convenience store employee who stopped nighttime eating was attacked with sandwiches and milk thrown at them. Under social distancing level 2.5, eating is prohibited inside and outside convenience stores after 9 p.m.

Convenience store employee Mr. C testified to the police, "I told them several times that food cannot be eaten inside the store after 9 p.m., but they did not listen," and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage inside the convenience store captured a customer throwing food.

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