"Why Are You Picking a Fight?" 40s Woman Who Caused Disturbance Without Wearing Mask Appears for Warrant Hearing

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A woman in her 40s, who was charged with obstructing business for causing a disturbance and delaying subway operations after being asked by other passengers to wear a mask, appeared at court on the 25th for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing).

Arriving at the Seoul Southern District Court at 10:02 a.m., Ms. A responded to reporters' questions asking, "Why did you behave that way? Do you have any regrets?" by saying, "Three passengers rushed at me and harassed me. If I had contracted COVID-19, I would regret it."

Ms. A is accused of causing a disturbance and delaying train operations for about seven minutes on the morning of the 23rd at around 11:50 a.m. inside a train near Oryu-dong Station on Subway Line 1, after being asked by another passenger to wear a mask and responding with abusive language and aggressive behavior, saying, "Why are you picking a fight?"

After getting off the train, Ms. A continued her disturbance by shouting at station staff and was eventually arrested by the police.

The police stated, "The mandatory wearing of masks on public transportation is directly related to public health, and the fact that the train was stopped for seven minutes due to Ms. A's disturbance is a serious matter," and thus requested an arrest warrant.

The warrant hearing was conducted by Judge Sung Bo-gi, who is in charge of warrants, and the decision on whether to detain Ms. A will be made late in the afternoon.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.