[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] In Sokcho-si, Gangwon Province, a female driver carrying her 20-month-old child was assaulted by a male driver over a lane change dispute, resulting in a six-week medical diagnosis and hospitalization. The man, who was accused of assault, claims it was not a one-sided attack and has countersued the female driver. However, the woman has repeatedly expressed her innocence.
On the 13th, an online community called 'Bobaedream' posted a message titled "Assault during driving dispute. I am the woman who appeared on JTBC News."
The author, Ms. A, said, "It has been very difficult since the news broadcast. I kept crying for days, thinking, 'I clearly did nothing wrong, so why am I being treated as the wrongdoer?'" She added, "The complaint has already been filed, and the other party has countersued me."
Ms. A also shared a black box video showing the circumstances of the incident. In the video, Ms. A changes lanes from the second lane to the first lane, but Mr. B, who was ahead of her, could not change lanes.
Ms. A explained, "When I was changing lanes to go straight, (Mr. B's vehicle) turned on the left turn signal right next to me, but it was too close to yield, and since the straight and left turn signals were simultaneous, I proceeded as is." She added, "At that time, I couldn't tell whether (Mr. B's) vehicle was turning left or changing lanes."
She continued, "If he intended to turn left, he should have come to the first lane earlier." She also said, "Later, (Mr. B) said he was trying to turn left there and claimed he didn't know the signals were simultaneous."
Afterwards, Mr. B chased Ms. A's vehicle at high speed, got out of his car, and approached Ms. A's vehicle, which was stopped at an intersection. At that time, Ms. A's 20-month-old child was in the front passenger seat.
Ms. A confronted Mr. B, asking, "Who are you honking at right now?" Mr. B replied, "You were driving like crap, so I honked."
When Ms. A got out of the car, Mr. B pushed her. In response, Ms. A pushed Mr. B's chest with her elbow. Then Mr. B struck Ms. A's face. Ms. A tried to defend herself but was eventually thrown to the ground after hitting the vehicle. As a result, Ms. A suffered a ruptured finger ligament and was diagnosed with more than six weeks of recovery and is currently hospitalized.
Ms. A expressed her frustration, saying, "What I did wrong was not reporting to the police, dealing with a man, and leaving my child in the car while trying to resolve the issue."
However, Ms. A claimed that Mr. B's behavior changed abruptly when people appeared nearby. She said, "When people suddenly showed up, Mr. B changed his attitude and said, 'I was wrong to do this to a woman.'" She added, "He stood with his hands behind his back, bent his body at a 90-degree angle, and told me to hit him," expressing her disbelief.
Text message received by female driver A from male driver B. Photo by Online Community 'BobaeDream' screen capture.
She continued, "The next day, Mr. B contacted me, saying he couldn't control his emotions because he had been to court for a divorce." She appealed, "He said this in a message, so if this isn't retaliatory driving or assault, then what is it?"
Ms. A also said, "Did I deserve to be beaten like that on the road? I've been driving for 18 years without a single accident. I wondered what would have happened if I were Ma Dong-seok," expressing her grievance.
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