Illegal Parking of Foreign Car in Front of Changwon Fire Station, Gyeongnam
Owner Confronts Firefighters with Arrogance
"I Just Came Back from Lunch, and You Scold Me?"
There has been a claim that the owner of a foreign car illegally parked in front of a fire station during lunchtime showed an arrogant attitude by getting angry at firefighters. On the 26th, multiple online communities posted a message titled "Audi Owner Illegally Parking in Front of Fire Station, How Dare You, Please Reflect" about an incident that occurred on the 24th.
The author, Mr. A, said that around noon that day, while having lunch at a restaurant in Changwon, Gyeongnam, and on his way home, he witnessed an Audi passenger car parked in a no-parking zone in front of the fire station. According to the photos posted with the message, the Audi vehicle was illegally parked in an area marked with diagonal lines indicating no parking, right in front of the garage where fire trucks and ambulances enter and exit.
According to Mr. A, two firefighters were near the vehicle at the time, and the Audi owner, Mr. B, appeared. Contrary to Mr. A’s expectation that Mr. B would apologize for the illegal parking, Mr. B immediately got angry. Mr. B argued, “It’s lunchtime, shouldn’t you cut me some slack?”, “I have parked here often before, so why are you pointing it out only this time?”, “I just went to eat, why are you giving me a hard time?”, and “My car didn’t prevent the fire trucks from dispatching, did it?”
In response, Mr. A said, “I don’t understand why he brags about frequently parking illegally and insists so strongly,” adding, “As soon as the owner arrived, he raised his voice angrily, so the firefighters at the scene couldn’t even properly speak. It was absurd.”
Furthermore, Mr. B reportedly told the firefighters, “I will go to the fire station, talk to the center chief, and file a formal complaint.” While Mr. B was shouting at the firefighters, other firefighters inside the fire station came outside, but Mr. B continued yelling without caring.
Mr. A said, “At this point, one would expect him to feel embarrassed, but he was undaunted and shouted loudly at the dozen or so firefighters with great confidence,” and added, “It was the most absurd thing I have ever seen in my life, so I forgot to go home and kept watching.” Unable to stand it, Mr. A pointed out, “Parking in front of the fire station is obviously not allowed, and there is a no-parking sign with diagonal lines at the intersection. You are clearly in the wrong,” but Mr. B mumbled and then protested again toward the firefighters.
Mr. A said, “I realized right then that this owner sees public officials as his inferiors. So he brushes me off but scolds the innocent firefighters,” and added, “If he acts like this openly in front of the fire station, I feel sorry for all public officials, including firefighters, wondering how disgraceful he must be in places out of sight.” He continued, “Since he didn’t respond properly, I asked him, ‘If you are so confident, can I take a photo and post it on an online community?’ He said to go ahead. So I am posting this,” and added, “I thought there were no more people like this in Korea. I thought the news was exaggerated. I hope the owner truly reflects after reading this post.”
According to the Road Traffic Act, a fine of up to 200,000 KRW can be imposed if the passage of emergency vehicles such as fire trucks is obstructed. According to the 2018 amended Fire Services Act, the Fire Agency can remove or relocate vehicles that obstruct the passage and firefighting activities of fire trucks due to illegal parking or stopping, and is not required to compensate for any damage to the vehicles.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
