The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Police investigate smokers who made scene when asked to leave cafe

By Lim Jae-seong

Published : May 9, 2023 - 17:52

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A man throws a cup of coffee onto the sidewalk at a cafe in Incheon on Saturday. (Internet community Apeunigga Sajangida) A man throws a cup of coffee onto the sidewalk at a cafe in Incheon on Saturday. (Internet community Apeunigga Sajangida)

The police is investigating two men who reacted aggressively to a request to move to another place to smoke from a cafe’s terrace in Incheon.

Incheon Seobu Police Station on Tuesday said that they received a report of two middle aged men pouring coffee and throwing a cup onto the sidewalk after being told by the cafe’s staff to move elsewhere on Saturday.

The men are under fire after the footage of them -- initially uploaded by the owner of the cafe on a self-employed shopkeepers’ online community -- went viral on the internet.

A man pours his coffee out onto a table at a cafe terrace in Incheon on Saturday. (Internet community Apeunigga Sajangida) A man pours his coffee out onto a table at a cafe terrace in Incheon on Saturday. (Internet community Apeunigga Sajangida)

In the two minutes of CCTV footage, they are seen smoking at a table despite a no-smoking zone sign on the table. They make this scene as a staff member points to the adjacent street and tells them to smoke outside of the terrace.

According to the post on the online community, they mocked the staff person, saying “good luck” and “report us.”

While pursuing the suspects, the police are considering whether their actions amount destruction and damage of property, which is punishable by up to three years of imprisonment or a 7 million won ($5,300) fine.