A 70-Year-Old Intercity Bus Driver in Hamyang Fondled a Female College Student's Chest and Legs... Police Begin Investigation Following Report

At Hamyang Bus Terminal Stop, Female College Student Expresses Frustration Over Bus Driver Not Being Arrested in an Empty Bus

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] A man in his 70s, a long-distance bus driver, is under investigation for sexually harassing a female college student on the bus.

The Hamyang Police Station in Gyeongnam announced on the 5th that they are investigating Mr. A, a man in his 70s and a driver of an express intercity bus traveling from Jinju to Geochang, on suspicion of sexually harassing Ms. B, a first-year female student at a university in Geochang, while the bus was stopped at Hamyang Intercity Terminal on the morning of the 30th.

Ms. B boarded the intercity bus in Jinju at 8:39 a.m. that day and arrived at the Hamyang Terminal, a stopover point, around 9:50 a.m. Before departing for Geochang, she was sexually harassed by the driver in an empty bus and reported it to 112 at around 10:05 a.m.

According to the victim’s statement, Mr. A gave Ms. B candy and touched her chest area about three times, then shortly after brought coffee and stroked her legs.

Investigators from the Geochang Police Station, who responded to the report, waited at the Geochang Terminal and met with Mr. A and Ms. B to verify the facts. About 30 minutes later, they handed over the female student to investigators from the Hamyang Police Station who had arrived. Mr. A had already departed for Seoul, stating he needed to drive the next bus bound for Seoul.

Ms. B said, “After being victimized on the bus, I was trembling with fear and reported it via text message, but the suspect was not arrested on the spot and was released, while I was unable to attend school and was subjected to a lengthy investigation.”

A citizen who heard the news expressed anger, saying, “If it were my daughter or my girlfriend who suffered such an act, it would make my blood boil,” and added, “It’s a world where you can’t even feel safe riding a bus.”

A Hamyang Police Station official said, “It seems they judged that the conditions for arresting the suspect on the spot were insufficient,” and added, “Given the circumstances, confirming the victim’s statement was prioritized over arrest, and since the suspect’s personal information was secured, they may have assessed there was no risk of flight.”

The police also stated, “This case has been transferred to the Western Investigation Team of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police’s Special Investigation Team for Crimes Against Women, which handles female and youth cases in third-tier areas such as Hamyang, Geochang, and Sancheong. The investigation, including summoning the suspect for questioning, will proceed. The local police stations are only responsible for initial measures such as confirming the victim’s statement.”

A representative of the bus company said, “We will strengthen sexual harassment prevention education to ensure that such incidents never happen again,” and added, “Mr. A has been placed on standby until the police investigation is completed.”