JTBC 'Sageonbanjang' Report on 27th
Atrocities at a Restaurant in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
On the 27th, JTBC's 'Incident Commander' reported the story of a citizen who was collectively assaulted by a group presumed to be Chinese after pointing out indoor smoking at a domestic restaurant.
The informant was dining with her boyfriend on the 25th at a lamb skewer restaurant in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, when they noticed a group of Chinese customers smoking indoors. The couple asked the staff, "Our throats feel tight and it's hard to breathe. Please ask the customers to go outside to smoke." The group, who were told by the staff, seemed to smoke outside for a moment but soon resumed smoking indoors.
When the couple directly requested, "Sorry, but please smoke outside," the Chinese group sneered in Chinese, saying, "Who are you to tell me not to smoke?" and uttered insults.
A man who pointed out indoor smoking was assaulted by a group of Chinese individuals, resulting in injuries requiring 16 weeks of medical treatment. JTBC broadcast screen capture
Upon understanding the Chinese insults, the couple confronted them, and the group responded, "Are you Chinese or Korean? What’s so great about being Korean that you can’t even smoke?" before throwing punches. They even choked the boyfriend, dragged him outside the restaurant, stomped on him, and continued indiscriminate assault by hitting his head with a beer bottle taken from the restaurant. The boyfriend, who was assaulted by six men in total, was diagnosed with a minor fracture and abrasions, requiring 16 weeks of treatment. The group also assaulted the woman without exception. The informant was dragged by her hair and kicked.
The assault only stopped when police sirens were heard. The group immediately got into a vehicle and fled, with only some of them being apprehended and investigated on charges of special assault.
Earlier last summer, there was public outrage when Chinese tourists were found repeatedly using electronic cigarettes at a restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The informant said, "I made eye contact with the woman smoking and told her not to smoke, but she ignored me and continued. The restaurant staff also told her not to smoke, but she paid no attention, and even a Chinese woman working at the restaurant warned her in Chinese not to smoke, but she kept smoking."
Currently, in South Korea, since 2015, smoking is completely banned in all bars, restaurants, and cafes regardless of size, including smoking rooms. Electronic cigarettes are no exception. Business owners who neglect illegal smokers can be fined between 100,000 and 5 million KRW.
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