Vietnam 'Photo Booth Assault' Woman... "I am also a victim of personal information leakage"

[Financial News] Amid an incident where a Korean woman assaulted Vietnamese women at a self-photo studio in Hanoi, Vietnam, the assailant claimed, "I am also a victim whose personal information was leaked."

On the 15th (local time), local media such as Tuoi Tre and Vietnam News (VNS) reported that on the 11th at around 9 PM, an incident occurred at a self-photo studio in the My Dinh area, a Korean town in Hanoi, where two Korean women suddenly assaulted two Vietnamese women.

According to a post by the victim, Ms. A, she and her friend were taking photos within the allotted time after paying the fee. However, a Korean woman, Ms. B, waiting outside, loudly urged them to hurry up and finish taking photos.

When Ms. A, who still had enough time to take photos, reacted with surprise saying, "Huh?", Ms. B suddenly struck Ms. A's arm hard. Although Ms. B's companions were surprised and tried to stop her, Ms. B put down her bag and snatched off Ms. A's hat.

Enraged, Ms. A confronted Ms. B, and the two grabbed each other's hair and got into a physical fight. Although their companions tried to stop them, the fight continued for several minutes, and even the staff intervened but to no avail.

Meanwhile, the CCTV captured a scene where Ms. B kicked Ms. A, who was crouching down. It also showed Ms. B's companions participating in the assault by grabbing Ms. A's hair in the same manner when Ms. A grabbed Ms. B's hair. Even after that, Ms. B continued to hold onto and hit Ms. A's hair.

As Ms. A left the photo booth, it seemed the situation was over, but Ms. B hit Ms. A again, continuing the assault outside the photo booth. Ms. B's companions also punched Ms. A's head while she was sitting on the floor.

Currently, it is known that Ms. A is suffering from dizziness, headaches, and loss of appetite due to psychological shock. Ms. A's side claimed, "The two were not drunk and were in their right minds. After committing the assault, they met with friends and happily drank coffee, even laughingly saying, 'We just hit someone.'"

Regarding this, a photo booth employee told local media, "This is the first time such an incident has occurred in the store," and "When the two (Vietnamese women) were in the booth, the two (Korean women) outside were urging them severely." He added, "When the Korean woman snatched the Vietnamese woman's hat and hit her hand, the Vietnamese woman responded. Although companions and staff intervened, they couldn't stop them. The staff reported to the authorities for help."

After the incident, as Vietnamese locals became greatly outraged, Ms. B's personal information spread widely. In response, Ms. B claimed, "I am also a victim whose personal information was leaked under the name of the photo booth assault incident," and explained, "To clarify, I was drunk, and the two Vietnamese people were in the booth for too long, which led me to commit an assault that I shouldn't have done under the influence of alcohol."

Ms. B added, "Now, with the accompaniment of the police, I have reached a settlement with the victim I assaulted, agreeing to pay 60 million dong (about 320,000 won) including medical expenses," and "Since the matter has been settled, I hope there will be no further leakage of personal information."

However, Ms. A countered, "I have not received any monetary compensation from the store or Ms. B."


Ms. B claimed, "I am also a victim whose personal information was leaked under the name of the photo booth assault incident." (Video=Social Network Service)
The store's CCTV footage of the assault scene spread, causing outrage at the level of 'anti-Korean' sentiment locally. The store where the assault occurred, being a Korean-owned photo studio chain, also suffered from a 'one-star rating attack' and couldn't avoid the fallout.

Eventually, the company issued an official statement, explaining, "At the time, store employees quickly blocked the scene and reported to the authorities."

They continued, "To objectively and fairly investigate the incident, we are cooperating with the authorities without bias towards any side," and "We will strengthen regular training for all branch employees and improve emergency response procedures."

An official from the Korean Embassy in Vietnam said, "We and the Vietnamese side are concerned that this incident, which is close to an individual's deviation, might negatively affect the emotions of the people of both countries," and urged, "Our citizens need to be careful not to get involved in various incidents in Vietnam."


hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter