[Summary] "Lovers fought because one didn't show their phone"… Man involved in 'Deokcheon Underground Shopping Center assault' voluntarily surrenders

Mutual Assault Followed by Male's One-Sided Assault on Female
Police Searching for Female After Refusal to Report and Return Home
Police "Plan to Track and Punish Video Distributor"

Assault scene at Deokcheon Underground Shopping Center, Buk-gu, Busan. Photo by SNS capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Amid controversy over a video showing indiscriminate violence exchanged between a man and a woman spreading on social networking services (SNS), it has been revealed that the violence stemmed from a dispute between a couple over not showing a cellphone.

According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and the Busan Bukbu Police Station on the 10th, a man in his 20s, Mr. A, who was involved in a physical fight with a woman at the underground shopping mall near Deokcheon Station in Busan, voluntarily appeared at the police station after seeing the video online.

During the police investigation, Mr. A stated, "The fight broke out because the cellphone was not shown."

Earlier, a closed-circuit television (CCTV) video capturing the assault scene at the underground shopping mall near Deokcheon Station around 1:13 a.m. on the 7th was circulated on SNS.

In the video, the man and woman, who briefly stopped to talk, swung fists and feet at each other.

An intoxicated woman slapped the man's face with her palm, and the man also struck the woman's face. Afterwards, the man repeatedly hit the fallen woman's face with his cellphone and kicked her, engaging in indiscriminate violence. When the woman lay on the ground unresponsive, the man left the scene as is.

The police responded to a report from the underground shopping mall management but found that both the man and woman had already left the scene.

A woman in her 30s, Ms. B, reportedly told the underground shopping mall management, "I'm fine, so please do not report to the police."

Subsequently, the video spread widely under titles such as 'Deokcheon Underground Shopping Mall,' 'Busan Assault,' and 'Busan Deokcheon Underground Shopping Mall,' causing a significant stir.

Assault scene at Deokcheon Underground Shopping Center, Buk-gu, Busan. Photo by SNS capture.

Netizens who saw the video that day reacted with comments like "This is chilling," "This is attempted murder," and "The video is so violent, it's shocking."

As the controversy escalated, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency formed a dedicated investigation team, including the violent crimes division and the Bukbu Police Station's violent crime unit, to conduct an investigation.

It has been reported that Mr. A and Ms. B are in a romantic relationship.

The police are currently making repeated efforts to locate Ms. B, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

The police plan to investigate both the man and woman to determine whether they wish to press charges against each other and whether any injuries were inflicted, before deciding on prosecution.

Assault is a 'non-prosecution offense without the victim's consent,' meaning it cannot be prosecuted if the victim does not wish to press charges. However, injury charges can be prosecuted even if there is an agreement with the victim.

According to the police, the video was rapidly spread after Mr. C, an employee of the underground shopping mall management office, shared it with an acquaintance.

The police plan to track down and punish the distributor of the video, as Mr. A has reported suffering damages due to its circulation.