Japanese tourist arrested after assault of Korean taxi driver for not understanding Japanese

December 14, 2022

A Japanese tourist was arrested for violently assaulting a Korean taxi driver in late November due to his inability to speak Japanese.

The incident was relayed in a statement from the Seoul Police on Tuesday. According to the report, a heavily intoxicated Japanese tourist hailed and entered a taxi in Gangnam, Seoul, and suddenly became aggressive after the driver could not understand what he was saying due to the language barrier.

The assailant then chased the driver, who is reportedly in his 60s, onto the street.

Police said the man pushed the taxi driver after catching up to him and then started punching and kicking him as he was on the ground. The victim reportedly sustained injuries to his hand, neck and back.

Bystanders tried to help the driver, but the assailant was relentless in his attacks, according to reports. The man was arrested and handed over to the prosecution on Tuesday. He reportedly confessed to the crime.

Two weeks after the incident, the driver said he is still traumatized and cannot not return to work.

A very similar incident occurred in Gangnam in September 2019, when a Japanese tourist also assaulted a taxi driver in his 60s. The tourist, who was reportedly in his 30s, hit the elderly driver in the back of his head while the latter was driving him and his companion, another Japanese tourist.

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