Secret Requests for Rides During Heavy Snow... Jeju 'Pickup Nam' Warning

There has been a report that a man offered rides to female university students stranded due to heavy snowfall in Jeju and demanded sexual acts in return. Student A from Jeju National University shared her experience on Everytime, a community mainly used by university students, on the night of the 23rd, warning her peers by saying, "There are many scary things in the world."

In her post, A shared a fishing post and subsequent messages exchanged with an unidentified person B, presumed to be a member of the same university. Everytime is the largest university platform in South Korea, accessible only to current students, alumni, and faculty of the respective university. For example, only Jeju National University students can post or read posts in the Jeju National University community.

There is controversy over reports that a man offered rides to female college students who could not return to their dormitories due to recent heavy snowfall in Jeju, and demanded sexual acts in return.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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According to the content shared by A, B posted an anonymous message titled "Anyone stuck without a taxi today?" on the Everytime free board around 9:40 PM on the 23rd. The post offered to give rides to those in need. Jeju National University is located in the high-altitude Jung-sangan area of Jeju, where it is practically difficult to use taxis during heavy snowfall.

At that time, a heavy snow warning had been issued early in the day for the Jung-sangan area where Jeju National University is located. Around the same time, many complaints appeared on the board about the lack of taxis due to the heavy snow, with people saying they would have to walk to school. Feeling something was off after seeing the post, A mustered the courage to contact B. However, the response was shocking: B demanded sexual acts in exchange for the ride.

On the 23rd, when heavy snow fell in Jeju, traffic on Jeju City 1100 Road was restricted.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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When A offered to pay money or buy warm drinks, B refused and responded with the same demand. Fortunately, this demand occurred during the process of arranging time and place before any actual meeting took place, and A immediately rejected it. Moreover, B sent messages to A stating, "I swear I won't ask for anything else," and "I don't have any sexually transmitted diseases and recently had a test done."

In her post, A stated, "This post is written for the public good. I am currently on the mainland during the vacation," and revealed the content especially for the safety of female students. In other words, although she did not actually need a ride, she continued the conversation with B out of concern. The post was made at 10:56 PM on the 23rd, less than 20 minutes after A had clearly refused B's final offer. At the end of the post, A warned, "Ladies, don't get into just any car. It's better to stay at a PC room all night or find accommodation," adding, "There are many scary things in the world."

After the post was shared, many comments appeared on the board sharing similar experiences and condemning such behavior. Especially on the morning of the 24th, the day after the post, a message appeared from someone who had a similar experience but did not comply and was planning to report it to the police. The post asked anyone who had experienced the same to contact them for reporting. On the other hand, another post mentioning the incident received comments saying, "I gave rides regardless of gender without expecting anything in return, and I refused all offers of food and drinks, but because of B, I can't do it anymore."

Choi Jae-ho, head of the Women and Youth Division at Jeju Dongbu Police Station, stated, "We need to look into the details, but if sexual humiliation was felt, it seems possible to report it under the 'Obscenity using communication media' charge (violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes)."

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