On the afternoon of the 15th, inside a Suin–Bundang Line commuter train. A sudden shouting match broke out on a train passing through Yatap Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi. The dispute began when a passenger asked a middle-aged couple sitting in the priority seat for pregnant women to "please use another empty seat."
Agitated, the husband hurled insults and eventually struck the passenger who had asked them to move in the head. The scuffle stopped only after two stations, when police arrived.
◇ Debate over subway "villains" spreads
Cases of so-called "villains" on public transit, including subways—people who cause discomfort or pose threats to others—continue without letup. As a result, calls are growing for countermeasures such as strengthening patrols by the Subway Police Unit.
According to Seoul Metro on the 18th, complaints related to disruptions of order on trains totaled 281,089 from 2021 through last year, an average of 154 per day. The figure includes all acts that interfere with subway use, from itinerant vendors to disturbances and assaults.
The Railroad Safety Act stipulates fines of up to 500,000 won for acts that harm passengers. A Seoul Metro official said, "When a report comes in, subway security personnel or station staff are dispatched to the scene to intervene, and police get involved depending on the situation."
Despite strict responses, order-disrupting behavior has scarcely declined. In particular, the pattern is becoming rougher, escalating beyond shouting or causing discomfort to other passengers into disturbances and assaults.
On the 2nd, on Seoul Subway Line No. 1, a middle-aged man spewed profanities at a pregnant woman sitting in the priority seat for pregnant women. On the 4th, on a Donghae Line train in Busan, when asked to move a bag placed on the adjacent seat, a middle-aged woman shouted and caused a disturbance.
Also on the 10th, a video showing a woman blocking a subway doorway and obstructing passage was posted on social media (SNS). Following passengers asked to "please let us pass," but the woman ignored them and did not step aside until the train departed.
◇ Online spread and secondary problems.. "Apply zero tolerance"
Some say the behavior of subway villains is spawning additional problems as it spreads online. Misconduct on subways is being consumed not as a target of criticism but as "entertaining content," which could in turn encourage similar behavior.
On YouTube and elsewhere, there is no shortage of content that compiles rampage scenes on subways into "subway villain" ranking videos. A clip of someone brandishing a danso and threatening citizens is called the "danso killer" and has racked up 18 million views. A video that aggregates several cases and ranks them has also surpassed 6 million views.
Experts analyze that individual psychological factors and the characteristics of the subway space can underlie such behavior. Although it is a crowded space with an unspecified multitude, people are relatively less conscious of others' eyes because everyone remains anonymous.
Im Jun-tae, a professor in the Department of Police Administration at Dongguk University, said, "There are aspects similar to children harassing others and enjoying the reaction," adding, "It directly harms others, but the level of punishment is often low, making it difficult to control."
Experts noted that responses to maintain order on subways should be strengthened to reduce the likelihood of escalation into more serious crimes. Kim Sang-gyun, a professor in the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University, said, "Given the nature of public transportation, a zero-tolerance principle needs to be applied to crimes on subways," adding, "For nuisance behavior as well, patrols by the Subway Police Unit should be increased to raise awareness."