A Minor Dispute Between a Woman Smoking and a Man Trying to Stop Her at Playground Escalates into Assault Incident

Female Club Member Smoking at Playground Near Apartment
Nearby Academy Director Uses Abusive Language and Assaults, Demanding to Put Out Cigarette

Netizens were divided over an incident in which the head of a jiu-jitsu academy assaulted a woman who was smoking in an apartment complex playground, with opinions split between "assault is unacceptable" and "deserved punishment." On the 28th, JTBC's Incident Report covered the assault that occurred around 2:30 PM on the 19th in an apartment complex in Gangwon Province. At the time, four members of a pet dog club were gathered at the apartment playground. One female member began smoking in a corner of the playground.

At that moment, the owner of a nearby second-floor jiu-jitsu academy opened the window and shouted, "Put out the cigarette."
[Photo by JTBC 'Sageonbanjang']

At that moment, the head of a nearby second-floor jiu-jitsu academy opened a window and shouted, "Put out the cigarette." The woman immediately extinguished her cigarette, but the academy head continued to be angry. The woman then asked, "Why are you so angry while talking like this?" and the academy head came out of the window and hit the victim. When the woman shouted, "Please report this," the academy head reportedly said, "I am mentally ill! I won't be sued, so go ahead and report me," and continued the assault.

The assault by the academy head reportedly stopped only after a security guard arrived. The victim woman was immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance, and the academy head claimed on a local moms' community cafe the same day that "I protested because someone was smoking in the playground nearby, and when another woman in the group smoked, I assaulted her."

[Photo by JTBC 'Sageon Banjang']

Netizens who read the story reacted with comments such as, "The academy head gave a proper lesson because they were smoking and making noise in the playground," "Looks like she got hit for acting up with a cigarette in her mouth," "Assault should never be done," and "Both are equally at fault." The case is currently under police investigation. According to the National Health Promotion Act, smoking is prohibited within a 10-meter radius of children's playgrounds nationwide, designating these areas as non-smoking zones. This includes children's playgrounds in apartment complexes and parks. Violators are subject to a fine of 100,000 won.