"Another Incident in Our Neighborhood..." Urban Legends Emerge Amid Repeated Fatal Accidents

Online Video of 'Gayang Station Restroom Incident' Goes Viral During Holiday
Police Say "No Unusual Findings" Regarding Possible Crime Involvement

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] “A heart startled by a snake is also startled by a pot lid.”

During the Hangul Day holiday, residents near Gayang Station in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, were terrified because of a video posted online. On the afternoon of the 7th, a post appeared on an online community claiming that moaning sounds were heard from a stall in the men's restroom at Gayang Station, followed by a person's hand and hair being seen on the floor.

The netizen who posted the message said, “From the adjacent stall, moaning sounds saying ‘Ah, please, please’ continued for 2 to 3 minutes, and then I noticed hair under the floor, which felt strange. I was about to leave, but feeling uneasy, I came back after a minute and saw a hand on the restroom floor. There was no response, so I reported it to the police and left for the time being.” The netizen also uploaded a video showing the situation at the time. The video captured a faint view of a person's hand on the restroom floor.

On the afternoon of the 7th, a post appeared on an online community stating that moaning sounds were heard from a stall in the men's restroom at Gayang Station, and a person's hand and hair were seen on the floor. Photo by online community video capture

Comments from other netizens who were at the scene followed the post. Some of them reported the incident to the police, and it was testified that police officers arrived at the scene and took away a man carrying a suitcase. Netizens expressed anxiety, suggesting the possibility of crimes such as human trafficking, sexual assault, or drug use.

However, it was confirmed that there were no cases registered at the Gangseo Police Station in Seoul related to this matter. A Gangseo Police Station official explained, “If there had been any unusual incidents such as casualties or drug cases, they would have been registered. There is no ongoing investigation related to the video.”

The police believe that residents’ anxiety has increased due to a series of incidents and accidents, including the disappearance of men and women in their 20s near Gayang Station recently.

Near Gayang Station, a 24-year-old office worker named Kim went missing at the end of June, followed by another disappearance of a man in his 20s named Lee in early August. Particularly, the lower half of Lee’s body was found in the mudflats near Gwangseongbo, Ganghwa Island, Incheon, on the 24th of last month, more than a month later, shocking many.

Meanwhile, on the 7th, another suspicious incident occurred at Gayang Station, leading some netizens to express anxiety by calling it an ‘urban legend,’ noting that strange incidents happen on days involving the number 7. The missing Kim was reported on June 27, and Lee was reported missing on August 7.

A police official said, “It seems that residents’ anxiety has increased because incidents occurred consecutively in a specific area within a short period and were widely reported by the media. However, there has been no significant increase in incidents or accidents compared to usual.”

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