What if you assault or cause a disturbance when asked to wear a mask? ... Be prepared to go to prison

Bus Passenger Assaults Driver and Fellow Riders After Mask Request, Sentenced to 1 Year 6 Months

Homeless Man Threatening and Hitting Station Staff Sentenced to 4 Months

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Those who assaulted and caused disturbances when asked to wear masks are not escaping legal punishment. Now, if you cause harm by arguing over mask-wearing, you must be prepared to face imprisonment.

According to the legal community on the 21st, the 12th Criminal Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court (Chief Judge Park Sang-gu) sentenced A (60) to 1 year and 6 months in prison on the 16th for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (assault on a driver) and other charges.

On August 25 last year, A was indicted for causing a disturbance on a bus operating in Songpa-gu, Seoul, by scratching the face of the bus driver who requested, "Please wear your mask properly," and verbally abusing him. Additionally, when a passenger reported this to the police, he forcibly removed the passenger's mask and repeatedly struck their face. A did not stop there and also threw punches at another passenger who tried to intervene.

He is also charged with shouting inside the bus, "Who is going to report to the police?" and disrupting the bus operation for 13 minutes.

The court explained the sentencing reason, stating, "Assaulting a driver on a moving city bus can cause traffic accidents and harm an unspecified number of people," and "the sentence was determined considering that some victims reached settlements."

B, who was prosecuted for similar offenses, was also sentenced to 10 months in prison.

On August 14 last year, B was prosecuted for assaulting a village bus driver operating in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. He was also charged with assaulting police officers who responded to the report at the scene and at the police station after his arrest.

According to the prosecution, B boarded the bus with his mask hanging on his chin and caused a disturbance when the bus driver requested him to wear it properly. During the bus operation, he verbally abused the driver and cursed at passengers who tried to stop him. He also grabbed the bus driver's hair and swung his hand as if to hit him because the driver reported the incident to the police.

The crime did not stop there. He assaulted police officers who arrived at the scene by grabbing their collars. After being caught in the act and taken to the police station, he tried to leave the interrogation room without permission and bit a police officer's hand who tried to stop him.

C (58), who was indicted for threatening and assaulting a station staff member who requested mask-wearing, violating the Railroad Safety Act, was sentenced to 4 months in prison last month.

He was living as a homeless person in the waiting room of Daegu Station in Jung-gu, Daegu, and was prosecuted for verbally abusing and threatening the station team leader who asked him to wear a mask on July 19 last year, and for pushing the neck area once.