A man in his 50s arrested for choking a female taxi driver after calling her "ajumma"

Driver Assault Charges Filed
Investigation Planned for Forced Indecency Allegations

An intoxicated male passenger strangled the neck of a female taxi driver while she was driving and fled, but was caught by the police.

On the 10th, the Western Busan Police Station booked and is investigating a man in his 50s, Mr. A, on charges of assaulting a driver under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. Mr. A is accused of assaulting the female taxi driver, Ms. B, by strangling her neck while she was driving a taxi near Dongdaesin-dong, Seo-gu, Busan, around 1 a.m. on the 8th.

According to CCTV footage released by JTBC the previous day, Mr. A repeatedly tried to turn off the interior light without fastening his seatbelt, and Ms. B asked, "Shall I turn off the light?"

After the interior light was turned off, Ms. B said "Ajumma" (a Korean term for a middle-aged woman), then Mr. A approached her, strangled her neck while she was driving, and sexually harassed parts of her body. When Ms. B resisted by pressing the taxi emergency bell, Mr. A apologized, saying "I'm sorry." When Ms. B asked, "What are you doing now?" Mr. A replied, "I momentarily got confused." Afterwards, Mr. A got out of the taxi and fled immediately without paying the fare.

Mr. A was hiding in a residential area and was arrested by the police who responded to a 112 emergency call. The police, who booked Mr. A on charges of assaulting a driver, are expected to investigate further on charges of sexual harassment.

A male passenger in his 50s approaching a female taxi driver.
[Image source=JTBC]

Netizens who heard the news responded with comments such as "We should consider installing partitions in taxis like on buses," "Drunk crimes should be severely punished," "Taxi drivers have extreme jobs too," and "These incidents continue because punishments are lenient."

Meanwhile, it was reported that Ms. B had only been driving a taxi for four weeks. She is said to be suffering, expressing that although she must support her elderly mother immediately, she lacks the confidence to get behind the wheel.

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