A nuisance man in full golf attire doing 'bunker shots' at the playground... "What if someone gets hurt?"

Video Uploaded Online
No Proper Grounds to Sanction Unauthorized Golf Practice

A man practicing golf by swinging a golf club in a playground was recently caught on camera and criticized online.

On the 6th, SBS released a video that was recently posted on an online community. The video was uploaded by a netizen who filmed it at a playground in Yeouido Hangang Park on the 30th of last month.

The author wrote, "I really doubted my eyes when I saw a man practicing bunker shots diligently around 8:30 a.m., determined to dig out all the sand in the playground where many people pass by."

The video shows a man dressed in golf attire, including a hat, gloves, and golf clothes, swinging a golf club and practicing golf in the playground.

[Image source=Online community capture]

The author added, "A few days ago, I even saw someone hitting an actual golf ball on the grass next to the playground," and said, "I don't understand what they are thinking if someone gets hurt."

In April of this year, a man practicing golf swings was caught next to a banner prohibiting golf practice in a park in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, which sparked public outrage.

However, there is currently no concrete legal basis to regulate such unauthorized golf practice. Unless actual damage occurs, such as someone being hit, only a fine of up to 100,000 won can be imposed under the Minor Offenses Act. In 2016, a man in his 60s who habitually practiced golf on the grassland of the Nakdong River embankment in Andong, Gyeongbuk, was fined 100,000 won by summary judgment.

In 2021, a so-called "Unauthorized Golf Prevention Act" prohibiting golf practice in public places was proposed but failed to pass in the National Assembly.