Spider-Man intervenes in Seoul subway altercation

Social Affairs

Published: 12 Nov. 2023, 16:46 Updated: 13 Nov. 2023, 08:49

Spider-Man intervenes in Seoul subway altercation

A man in his Spider-Man costume restrains a homeless person who is trying to swing his at subway workers on Saturday at Jamsil Station in southern Seoul. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A man in a Spider-Man costume restrained a homeless person who was threatening a subway worker and then walked away at Jamsil Station in southern Seoul on Saturday night.

In a post that was uploaded to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday 9:35 p.m., the witness wrote “I saw the Spider-Man, what’s going on? The Spider-Man is breaking up the homeless [person] who is fighting against the person. Is this person a real Spider-Man?”

The post had surpassed 3 million views as of Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

According to the posted photo and stories from witnesses, the homeless person, who had no shoes on, took a swing at a man assumed to be a subway worker. The Spider-Man grabbed the offender’s arms and resolved the conflict.

The restrained homeless person shouted “Let go of me.”

“Please calm down,” the Spider-Man said repeatedly.

A man in his Spider-Man costume holds arms of the homeless on Saturday at Jamsil Station in southern Seoul. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Spider-Man danced while holding the homeless person's arms, according to the video footage, which made observers laugh. The two appeared to be dancing the polka, a European folk dance, as a pair.

After subway workers made a report, police officers removed the homeless person from the station.

“After the homeless was sent out, the Spider-Man left the scene without any words. The Spider-Man’s identity is not confirmed,” a Seoul Metro worker told Yonhap News Agency on Sunday.

An X user, claiming to be the Spider-Man, commented, “I saw the scene where the homeless who were in argument, trying to wield the violence against the subway worker. Then, a lady next to me also made the report to the police. As it would take 10 minutes until the officers arrive, I intervened not to escalate the conflict.”

When another user praised his actions, the user added “When I confronted the homeless, my mind and brain went blank. I am just a person covered in latex.”

The user added that he occasionally goes to the Jamsil area, which lots of children visit on weekends, and takes photos with them.

BY KIM JI-HYE, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]