A woman was carried off a busy road in Seoul’s southern Gangnam-gu by three police officers after refusing to move, a video circulating online showed Tuesday.
The footage showed the woman walking in the middle of Gangnam-daero, holding a phone to her ear and speaking loudly as vehicles passed nearby. When police officers approached her, she sat down and then laid in the road.
The officers tried to help her up, but she remained on the ground. Three officers eventually lifted her by her arms and legs and carried her toward the sidewalk.
Local media quoted a witness as saying the woman had shouted and cried while crossing the road. The witness said the pedestrian signal was green at the time and that no one was injured and traffic was not significantly disrupted.
According to local news reports, police had responded to a dispute between the woman and an acquaintance at about 7:40 a.m. Monday, roughly 30 minutes before the incident on Gangnam-daero, and helped her return home.
Under South Korea’s Road Traffic Act, pedestrians must use sidewalks where available and are prohibited from sitting or lying in the road if doing so obstructs traffic. The law also bans people from staggering in the road while intoxicated. Whether the woman could face a penalty depends on the circumstances and which provision applies.
junheee@heraldcorp.com