Group Brawl Among Over 10 at Pattaya Restaurant
Sudden Assault on Vietnamese Women in Hanoi
Recently, there has been growing criticism as incidents of some Koreans engaging in brawls or assaulting locals while abroad have continued to occur.
On July 15, Yonhap News, citing Pattaya News and Pattaya Mail, reported that around 10 Korean tourists were involved in a group fight at a restaurant in Pattaya, a tourist destination in Thailand, on July 11.
A video circulated on social networking services (SNS) shows several men entangled in a fistfight and physical altercation in a large restaurant frequented by tourists. Local police who responded to the scene detained four Korean tourists for questioning. It was found that the fight broke out after a verbal argument while they were dining together at the same table.
The restaurant demanded 100,000 baht (approximately 426,000 KRW) from those involved in the brawl to cover unpaid meal costs and compensation. It was reported that the individuals complied with the restaurant's demand and paid the amount. Police charged them with fighting in a public place, imposed fines, and then released them.
A similar incident occurred in Vietnam. On the same day, according to local media such as Tuoi Tre and Vietnam News (VNS), two Korean women assaulted two Vietnamese women at an instant photo studio in My Dinh, the Korean town in Hanoi, Vietnam.
According to closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, one of the Korean women, who was waiting for her turn, suddenly rushed at a Vietnamese woman who was taking photos and slapped her with her palm. She also knocked off the woman's hat and continued the assault. Both sides then grabbed each other's hair and engaged in a physical struggle, and one of the Korean women kicked the Vietnamese woman after she fell to the ground.
According to a store employee, the Korean women shouted and urged the Vietnamese women to finish quickly, even though their allotted photo time was not over, which led to the altercation.
Although a staff member at the scene tried to intervene, the situation did not calm down, and eventually local police arrived to handle the incident. Local authorities are currently investigating based on CCTV footage and witness statements, and plan to question the victims soon. It is reported that one of the Korean women works for a Korean company in Vietnam.
This incident spread rapidly after one of the Vietnamese women believed to be a victim translated the details into Korean and posted them on domestic SNS, seeking help. As the post spread in Korea, public criticism grew, with comments such as "A national disgrace abroad" and "I feel embarrassed just watching the video."
An official from the Korean Embassy in Vietnam stated, "Both our embassy and the Vietnamese side are concerned that this incident, which is close to an individual deviation, may negatively affect public sentiment between the two countries," and added, "Our citizens should be careful not to get involved in various incidents in Vietnam."
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