The Victim Said 'I Forgive'... Netizens Outraged Over Video of Teen Harassing Elderly Person

Police Book Four Perpetrator Students
"Crossed the Line... Personal Information Should Be Disclosed" 청 청원

On the afternoon of the 25th in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, high school students in their teens are harassing a man in his 60s with chrysanthemums for memorial purposes / Photo by Internet Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Public outrage is growing after a video surfaced showing four teenage high school students in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, ordering a man in his 60s to buy cigarettes and hitting him with chrysanthemums meant for memorial purposes. The victim reportedly accepted the students' apology and forgave them, but some netizens are demanding severe punishment and public disclosure of the students' identities.

The Yeoju Police Department booked four individuals, including a 17-year-old male student identified as A, on the 28th for assaulting the elderly man. They are accused of repeatedly hitting Mr. B, a man in his 60s, on the head and shoulders with flowers on a street in Hongmun-dong, Yeoju City, around 11:30 p.m. on the 25th.

Mr. B reportedly received an apology from the students after the incident and expressed that he does not wish for them to be punished. The police plan to summon A and the others along with their guardians to investigate the detailed circumstances of the incident.

At the time of the incident, A and the others recorded a video capturing the scene of them assaulting Mr. B and posted it on social networking services (SNS). In the video, one male student demands, "Buy me a cigarette," from Mr. B, who is wearing a yellow raincoat, and strikes his head and shoulders forcefully with flowers.

One student also mocks Mr. B while hitting him, saying things like, "Where is your boyfriend? Did you break up?" and "Are you going to buy me a cigarette or not? Just say it."

Some netizens have called for severe punishment and public disclosure of the identities of the offending students. / Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board capture

When Mr. B tries to move away saying, "I won't buy," the students threaten him, saying, "Don't move away." When Mr. B asks, "How old are you? Aren't you a student?" they reply, "Seventeen," but do not stop the assault.

The controversy intensified when it was revealed that the chrysanthemums used by the students to hit Mr. B were memorial flowers placed near the nearby Statue of Peace. This statue was erected last August at the entrance of Changdong Hangul Market in Yeoju City to honor Grandma Lee Yong-nyeo, a comfort woman victim from Yeoju.

Netizens who saw the video expressed outrage, saying things like, "What kind of act is this toward a powerless elderly woman? Cowardly kids," "Character education in schools these days is completely ruined," and "The world is going crazy."

Calls for strict punishment and public disclosure of the perpetrators' identities are growing louder. On the 28th, a petition titled "Demanding punishment and public disclosure of the identities of teenagers who ordered a man in his 60s to buy cigarettes and repeatedly hit his head" was posted on the Blue House's National Petition Board.

The petitioner, who learned about the incident through the news, explained the situation at the time, saying, "The victim pleaded with a trembling voice, but the male student's attitude did not change. The student filming the video reportedly did not stop laughing throughout the recording."

They added, "Didn't they cross the line too far?" and expressed frustration, saying, "They must be punished and their identities disclosed."

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