People Before Cars? 'Human Parking Cone' Controversy Erupts Again at Busan Mall

Difficult to Directly Penalize Spot Saving
Drivers Can Also Face Criminal Charges in Cases of Physical Altercations

A video showing a woman blocking an empty parking space with a shopping cart and preventing other vehicles from entering at a large shopping mall parking lot in Busan has sparked controversy. As conflicts between drivers over so-called 'saving a spot' repeatedly occur at shopping malls suffering from severe parking shortages on holidays, similar inconsiderate parking cases are once again under public scrutiny.

On June 10, the YouTube channel 'Han Moonchul TV' uploaded a dashcam video filmed on May 25 in the underground parking lot of a large shopping mall in Busan. According to informant A, it was an alternative holiday afternoon, and most of the spaces, even down to the second basement floor, were full. In the video, as A's vehicle spots an empty parking space and attempts to enter, a woman blocks the spot with a shopping cart. Even as A's car slowly approaches, the woman refuses to move. Instead, she stays inside the parking space with her cart, holding her ground.

On the 10th, the YouTube channel 'Han Moon-cheol TV' uploaded a dashcam video filmed on the 25th of last month in an underground parking lot of a large shopping mall in Busan. YouTube channel 'Han Moon-cheol TV'

Informant A stated, "I told her, 'A person shouldn't be standing in a parking space. Cars come first,' but she replied, 'I have large items, so I need to park here and unload them. I absolutely can't move.'" He added, "Even though people around were watching and recording the situation, the woman remained unmoved, sitting on the cart."

Ultimately, the woman held the spot until her husband's car arrived, unloaded their belongings, and parked in the space. Afterwards, the husband reportedly apologized to A. However, A said, "The woman told me, 'You should have politely asked me to move because I have a baby,' and I was frustrated, thinking, 'Regardless of whether you have a child or not, parking spaces are for cars, aren't they?'"

Attorney Han Moonchul, after watching the video, expressed his disbelief, saying, "Is she really holding out this much?" He pointed out, "A parking lot is a place for cars to park, not for people to stand in. Even if a companion's car is on its way, physically blocking a spot from a car attempting to enter is unreasonable." Online users also commented, "Parking spaces are for cars, not for people to claim," "Justifying such behavior by using a child as an excuse is wrong," "If the husband apologized, she should realize her fault too," and "A lack of consideration is a bigger problem than the parking shortage itself."

A similar controversy occurred recently. On June 3, at a large supermarket parking lot in Busan, it was reported that two women blocked an empty parking space with their bodies, obstructing other vehicles from entering. The informant at the time claimed that these women even hurled insults at drivers who protested, and netizens criticized them as 'human parking cones.'

A similar controversy occurred recently. On the 3rd, a story surfaced about two women in a large mart parking lot in Busan who blocked an empty parking space with their bodies, preventing other vehicles from entering. Screenshot from SNS

There have also been cases where disputes over saving parking spots have escalated into physical altercations. In 2020, at a parking lot of a recreational site in Wonju, Gangwon Province, a middle school student, claiming, "This spot is for my parents' car," blocked an empty space and ended up bumping their knee on a car's front bumper during a dispute with a driver. The driver was prosecuted for special assault and was fined.

However, legal experts say that simply standing in a parking space first does not grant priority in public parking lots. In particular, there is no clear regulation directly penalizing the act of saving a parking spot, so on-site intervention often relies on building management offices or parking staff. On the other hand, if a driver pushes their car toward a person during a dispute or causes a contact accident, they can be held criminally liable for assault and must exercise caution.

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