Female Passenger Present but Urinating While Driving... Outrage Over Lenient Punishment for Driver

70s Bus Driver Urinates in Paper Cup During Bus Operation
Throws Urine Outside, Then Asks "Where Do You Live?"
"Submitted Apology Letter to Company... Removed from Existing Route"

A male bus driver in his 70s urinated into a paper cup while alone on the bus with a female passenger in her 20s. The woman sought help from the police, but the punishment for the bus driver was a light reprimand of just a 'letter of apology,' sparking controversy.

Image unrelated to the article content. [Photo by Getty Images Bank]

On the 24th, JoongAng Ilbo reported that a woman in her 20s, Ms. A, who lives in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, had an unpleasant experience on the 3300 Siheung Transportation bus heading from Yeoksam Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to Yangjae Pedro Hospital around 8:25 a.m. on the 17th of last month.

At that time, most passengers on the bus got off near Yeoksam Station, leaving only Ms. A and the driver in his 70s on the bus. The driver, who was operating the bus, said, "Miss, don't look back," and then urinated into a paper cup.

Ms. A did not directly witness the driver urinating but heard the 'trickling' sound of urination. After discarding the urine-filled paper cup outside, the driver returned to his seat and asked Ms. A, "Miss, where do you live?"

When Ms. A was about to get off the bus, she asked, "Sir, what were you doing just now behind me?" The driver replied, "I did something shameful." Regarding the situation, Ms. A said, "There was no one else on the bus except the driver and me. I didn't know what might happen, and I felt my whole body freeze."

Exterior view of Siheung Police Station. [Photo by Siheung Police Station]

Immediately after the incident, Ms. A sought help from Siheung City Hall and the police. However, the responses she received were, "It is difficult to take separate measures at the Siheung city level," and "It is difficult to impose criminal punishment for the act of urinating."

A Siheung Police Station official stated, "It is true that Ms. A came to the police station to inquire, and it is also true that we advised her that legal action would be difficult," but added, "We applied the victim protection program as requested by Ms. A, and if she decides to file a complaint, we are willing to register the case under the charge of public obscenity."

Siheung Transportation explained, "Recruiting bus drivers is as difficult as catching a star in the sky, so more than 70% of our drivers are in their 70s," and added, "Since the drivers are elderly and the bus routes are long, lasting 2 to 3 hours, they sometimes have to wear diapers." They continued, "The driver acknowledged that his behavior was inappropriate and submitted a letter of apology to the company," and added, "The driver has been excluded from the existing routes."

Meanwhile, under current law, public obscenity charges can be applied if someone exposes themselves excessively or engages in obscene acts such as masturbation in public places where an unspecified number of people can see. This is to protect sexual morality and the good sexual customs of society. It does not require someone to have witnessed the act; the possibility of recognition alone can lead to punishment. If excessive exposure beyond obscene acts causes discomfort or shame to others, it is considered public excessive exposure and can be prosecuted under the Minor Offenses Act for public indecency.

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