English teacher assaults 61-year-old man on bus

A 24-year-old English teacher from the United States was arrested for assaulting a 61-year-old man on a bus Saturday in Bundang, Gyeonggi, after the victim told him in English to “shut up” and proceeded to insult him in Korean.

The African-American suspect, identified as H, struck the 61-year-old man’s face multiple times and choked him with his arm, according to Bundang Police, after he felt that the victim, surnamed Seon, was demeaning black people.

Police said it plans to charge the suspect without detention.

The incident, captured on video, has gone viral online and is causing public outcry, with many Koreans demanding harsh punishment.

The altercation took place on Saturday at 11:10 p.m. on a bus from Moran Station to Bundang. The suspect was speaking to a Korean female friend when Seon insulted him. The suspect reacted angrily, saying “shut up” and “You see these rocks?” referring to his fists.

Some passengers, including his friend, are seen in the footage trying to calm the suspect down, but he continued to yell invectives in both English and Korean before assaulting Seon.

The suspect was arrested on the bus after a passenger called police.

Police questioned the suspect for an hour after his arrest but released him for the day because an English interpreter was unavailable. Investigators summoned the suspected yesterday morning to finish questioning.

The suspect, according to police, said he became angry after he felt insulted by the man for telling him to “shut up” instead of asking politely.

“The suspect said that he felt humiliated by Seon’s words, and it really fired him up,” a Bundang Police official said. “He didn’t deny the assault, so we will charge him soon without detention.”

Police added that the suspect was willing to apologize to Seon. The suspect is from Pennsylvania and has been working as an English teacher in Bundang for six months.

A day after the incident, several video clips, taken by passengers, appeared on major Web sites, including Naver and YouTube. On YouTube, the clip was viewed 217,212 times in a day, and many upset commenters demanded strict punishment. Some blamed the passengers for not trying to stop the suspect.

By Chung Young-jin, Kwon Sang-soo [sakwon80@joongang.co.kr]

한글 관련 기사 [중앙일보]

버스서 노인폭행 흑인, 현행범 체포

욕설·목 조르는 장면 동영상 퍼져

버스 안에서 60대 한국 남성을 폭행하는 동영상이 공개돼 최근 각종 포털사이트에서 누리꾼들의 분노를 샀던 젊은 흑인 남성이 경찰에 체포됐다.

　경기도 분당경찰서는 버스에서 승객에게 욕을 하고 폭행한 혐의로 미국인 영어강사 로버트 홀(24)을 불구속 입건, 조사 중이라고 29일 밝혔다. 경찰에 따르면 H씨는 지난 27일 오후 11시10분쯤 성남시 모란역에서 분당 방면으로 운행하던 시내버스에서 좌석에 앉아 있던 남성(61)에게 욕을 하고 목을 조르는 등 상처를 입힌 혐의를 받고 있다. 경찰 조사 결과 홀은 일행과 목소리를 높여 대화하는 것을 듣고 있던 이 남성이 영어로 “입 다물라”고 말하자 욕을 하고 폭행한 것으로 드러났다. 홀은 승객들의 요청에 따라 버스기사가 인근 경찰지구대 앞에 차를 세워 출동한 경찰에 현행범으로 체포됐다.

　경찰은 홀을 상대로 1차 조사한 뒤 돌려보냈고 30일 다시 불러 조사할 방침이다.

　이 사건은 지난 28일 오후부터 각종 포털사이트에 ‘흑인 노인폭행’ 등의 제목으로 폭행 장면이 담긴 1분18초 분량의 동영상이 퍼지면서 알려졌다. 동영상을 보면 홀은 레게 머리를 한 거구의 흑인으로 60대 남성에게 ‘shut up(닥쳐)’, ‘don’t talk to me(나한테 말 걸지마)’ 등 고함을 치며 때릴 것 같은 위협적인 동작을 하고 있다.

　일부 한국인 승객들이 “하지 마”라며 말렸지만 이 흑인은 오히려 낄낄거리며 한국말로 “야 이 개XX야”라고 욕설을 했다.