Lunar New Year's Eve City Bus 'Drama' Between Man and Woman... Bus Stopped, Fare Box Smashed, and Driver Assaulted

Busanjin Police Station Investigates Special Act Charges for Assaulting Bus Driver and Property Damage After Forcing Sudden Stop of City Bus by Sticking Out Foot

Busanjin Police Station.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Late at night, a man in his 30s boarded a city bus and kicked the fare box, smashing it, causing passengers to be engulfed in fear.

The man shouted at the driver to "get off" and violently destroyed bus property. When the driver, a man in his 50s, got off the bus, a woman in her 20s standing nearby grabbed the driver's collar and pushed his shoulder, joining in the assault.

This was a nighttime incident that occurred during the Lunar New Year holiday, a traditional Korean festival.

A man and woman in their 20s and 30s who caused a disturbance by grabbing the collar of a city bus driver and shaking him, and smashing the fare box on a city bus operating in the middle of Busan city, were caught by the police.

According to the Busanjin Police Station in Busan on the 13th, at around 10:10 PM on the 12th, a woman in her 20s, Ms. A, extended her foot onto the road at the crosswalk BRT section in front of the Kyongnam Bank Seomyeon branch on Jungang-daero, Busanjin-gu, causing the bus to make an emergency stop.

When the city bus driver warned the woman from the driver's seat, Mr. B, a man in his 30s who was with the woman, boarded the bus and kicked the fare box, smashing it while cursing.

Ms. A grabbed and pushed the collar of the city bus driver, Mr. C (male, in his 50s), who had gotten off the bus, and continued the assault for several minutes.

The Busanjin police responded to a 112 emergency call and took Ms. A and Mr. B in for questioning on suspicion of ‘assaulting a driver under the Special Act’.

A passenger on the bus said, “Many citizens saw the scene where the property was completely destroyed. The situation escalated so much that everyone was scared and didn’t know what to do. We could have been the targets of the assault,” expressing concern.

The police have booked the two individuals without detention and are analyzing CCTV footage and other evidence.

Assaulting or threatening drivers of operating buses or taxis, even if the vehicle is temporarily stopped, is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.

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