Posted a handwritten apology on personal blog
"Wanted an apology, contacted police to make them kneel"
"Admit my wrong behavior... I will reflect"
An incident where a hair salon owner demanded a man in his 70s, who was working part-time handing out flyers, to kneel and apologize is causing public outrage. / Photo by YouTube video capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Salon owner Mr. A, who caused public outrage for making a man in his 70s who was working part-time distributing flyers kneel down in an act of 'gapjil' (abuse of power), has released a handwritten apology letter.
On the 28th, Mr. A posted a handwritten apology on his personal blog, stating, "My mother works hard distributing flyers, and I wonder if it would have been better to just accept one flyer from her. I was lacking and caused a lot of hurt to many people," and bowed his head, saying, "I will try to live properly and politely from now on."
He continued, "I am truly sorry. Even if I had two mouths, I have nothing to say," and added, "The flyer itself is not important, but my behavior toward my mother was very wrong. I will repent for my wrongful actions," repeatedly apologizing.
Mr. A had also posted an apology on his blog the day before (the 27th). He admitted, "I contacted the police because I wanted to apologize properly (to the elderly person), and it is true that I made my mother kneel."
As the controversy grew, the hair salon owner posted a handwritten apology on their personal blog. / Photo by Internet Homepage Capture
He added, "I contacted my mother and said, 'I am truly sorry. Even if I had ten mouths, I have nothing to say,'" and said, "(I) am indeed a terrible person. I sincerely bow my head to apologize, acknowledge my wrongful behavior, and reflect on it."
This incident became known recently through a video titled 'Gapjil Salon Owner' uploaded on YouTube. In the photos revealed in the video, a woman is seen kneeling with her hands clasped together on what appears to be the floor of a salon. Two police officers are standing nearby observing the situation.
According to the video, the woman kneeling in the photo is Mr. B, in his 70s, who had previously placed flyers for a company into the salon's mailbox. However, salon owner Mr. A, who witnessed this, directly contacted the company listed on the flyer to complain. The company owner, Mr. C, apologized to Mr. A, but Mr. A insisted, "I want to receive an apology directly from Mr. B."
Later, when Mr. B visited Mr. A's salon to apologize, Mr. A demanded that Mr. B kneel and beg. When Mr. B said, "It would be difficult to kneel," Mr. A reported this to the police. When the police arrived, Mr. B, frightened, reportedly complied with Mr. A's demand and knelt as ordered.
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