Subway 'Cheolbongnori' Son's Mom Next to Him Only Fiddles with Phone... "Don't They Know Public Etiquette?" vs "It's Harsh" Debate Erupts

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] A photo showing a child hanging from a shelf inside a Seoul Subway Line 5 train car while playing, and the guardian neglecting the child and looking at a cellphone, has been released, sparking controversy. Among netizens, criticism toward the guardian such as "Don't they know public etiquette?" has arisen, while some have responded that "It is not something that should be photographed and posted."

On the 14th, a post titled "Line 5 Nuisance Mother and Child" was uploaded on an online community.

The author stated, "Even though people around warned that it was dangerous, the child kept hanging from the handrails and subway poles for several stops. The child's mother did not stop the child from playing dangerously and only looked at her cellphone," and revealed a photo taken inside the subway.

The photo shows a boy who took off his shoes and is hanging from the shelf above the seat, and a woman presumed to be the guardian sitting and looking at her cellphone.

The author continued, "There were quite a few people inside the subway. One photo cannot tell the whole story," and claimed, "What fault does the child have? The problem is the mother who lets the child receive cold stares at such a young age. I think the child can behave like that because they are a child, but the parent who just leaves them alone is at fault."

Inside a train on Subway Line 2. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. Photo by Yonhap News

Netizens who saw this post agreed with the author's claim and criticized the behavior of the woman in the photo.

Netizens responded with comments such as, "Shouldn't public morals be taught from a young age as a basic principle?", "The child is old enough to understand if told, so the parent's fault is big for leaving them like that," and "What if someone gets hurt because of that?"

On the other hand, some pointed out that it is not something to be criticized by posting the photo online.

Some netizens expressed that the criticism was excessive, saying, "I agree that the guardian should have taken better care of the child, but is it really necessary to take and post a photo?", "It's not a heinous crime, and the subway doesn't look crowded like during rush hour, so there's no need to be so harsh," and "There might have been some circumstances, and it is not right to randomly take pictures of others and upload them to a community."

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