"Don't Park Here, I'll Be Back After Eating"... 'The Era of Parking Villains'

Absurd 'Parking Space Preemption' Stories Continue
'Partial Amendment to the Parking Lot Act' Proposed

"I'm going to eat with my son. Please park somewhere else."

A lone cardboard box placed in an empty parking space. On the outside of the box, this phrase is written. This is the work of so-called "parking villains" who try to 'reserve' a spot by leaving boxes or other items after briefly leaving the parking space. As the absurd actions of these parking villains continue, netizens are also expressing their anger.

On the 17th, a photo of an indoor parking lot was posted on an online community. A cardboard box was placed in an empty parking space, and the box had a message saying, "I'm going to eat with my son, so please park somewhere else."

A box placed in an empty parking space. [Image source=Online community]

The driver who filmed the video expressed anger, saying, "What is that? It's really outrageous. People like that need to be punished." He also opened his car door and kicked the cardboard box away.

This video spread across various online communities and attracted the attention of netizens. Netizens criticized the behavior of the 'parking villain' in the video, saying, "I feel sorry for the son who has such parents," "Did they rent out the entire parking lot?" and "They are getting more and more shameless."

The video shooter kicking and clearing the box with their foot [Image source=Online Community]

"Parking villain" is a newly coined term referring to some troublemakers who use all sorts of means to reserve parking spaces. As their actions spread online, drivers are frowning in disapproval.

For example, earlier this month in Incheon, controversy erupted when a story surfaced about a man in his 40s who left an empty car in an underground parking lot of a shopping center for as long as a week. Eventually, the man was investigated by the police on charges of general traffic obstruction and business interference, and he also posted a public apology on an online community.

In April, a video of a woman lying down on an empty parking space saying, "I absolutely cannot move until my husband's car returns," spread online. When the person filming the video, who was trying to park, asked her to move so they could park, the woman strongly refused, saying, "I came first and waited beside it."

As conflicts surrounding parking villains continue, lawmakers have also proposed bills to prevent 'reserving parking spaces.' In April, Song Ki-heon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, introduced the "Partial Amendment to the Parking Lot Act" as the main proposer. The bill mainly prohibits acts such as obstructing other vehicles from entering to reserve parking spaces or stacking objects to block passage.

Representative Song explained the purpose of the bill, saying, "Recently, the issue of reserving parking spaces frequently appears in black box video report channels. This amendment will help establish order within parking lots and protect the safety of all users."

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