Assaulted While Reporting Illegal Parking
"Police Responded with 'Why Report It?'"
A story has sparked controversy after a person who repeatedly reported illegal wrong-way driving and illegal parking was assaulted and mocked by the reported offenders, and received little help from the police.
On the 20th, a photo of a banner hanging on the road in front of a fast food restaurant in Dongseong-ro, Daegu, was posted on an online community.
A tenant of a building put up a banner criticizing so-called 'paparazzi' who reported vehicles violating the Road Traffic Act. [Photo source=Online community]
The left side of the banner has a headline that reads, "Temporary Parking and Stopping, Entry Absolutely Prohibited."
The person, who introduced themselves as a building tenant, wrote, "A young Korean youth full of burning passion and justice to save the country has been acting as a paparazzi for several months at a fast food restaurant, disguised as a customer, armed with a laptop and two mobile phones, reporting to the National Petition Service, Jungbu Police Station, and Jung-gu Office."
They added, "If you do not want to pay the fine of 78,000 won, which causes the lid to pop off, you need to be extremely careful." It is presumed that the banner was put up by the building tenant in response to complaints from drivers who were reported for illegal parking.
As the photo was shared online and became a hot topic on social media and communities, the person described in the banner as the "young youth" appeared.
"99% Drive Wrong Way Illegally"
Mr. A said, "I sat by the second-floor window and reported every time I saw illegal wrong-way driving," adding, "99% of the cases are illegal wrong-way driving. Illegal parking cases are few." He also said, "Since there is no one enforcing the rules, cars can be parked illegally for hours without anyone saying anything."
A netizen posted a photo taken from a portal site's street view, confirming the situation Mr. A described. Cars were parked on both sides of the narrow road.
The vehicle parked at the left end of the road in the photo appears to be parked with the trunk facing out, suggesting it entered the road by ignoring the "No Entry" sign and drove the wrong way illegally.
Mr. A also disclosed his report history. He started reporting around January 30 and continued until the 10th of this month. The total number of reports he made was 535, averaging more than 10 reports per day.
However, Mr. A said, "I will not report anymore," adding, "I was even assaulted while reporting illegal parking."
"Police Blamed Me, Saying 'Why Report If You're Going to Get Hurt?'"
He continued, "The police reacted by saying, 'Why report if you're going to get hurt?' and even at the hospital where I went for a settlement, they said it was my fault for reporting an older person," he claimed.
Mr. A also said, "Someone reported me for illegal filming, and when the police came, they took down my name and phone number, so I stopped reporting and now I don't even go there."
He added, "Those who commit illegal acts are confident and shameless, but I, who reported them, became the bad guy," lamenting, "No one was on my side."
After Mr. A's post was uploaded, netizens responded with comments such as, "Isn't the banner itself illegal?", "Criminals tend to have a double standard (If I do it, it's romance; if others do it, it's an affair)," and "I hope the reporter doesn't get discouraged while doing a good deed."
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