Kim Hee-won Also Fell Victim to a 'Leg-Crossing' Dispute... It Escalated into a Fistfight [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] Online outrage is growing over the so-called 'leg-crossing' behavior of sitting with one's legs crossed on public transportation and inconveniencing nearby passengers. Conflicts over public etiquette are deepening as this inconsiderate behavior, which intrudes on others' space in cramped seating areas, has gone beyond everyday annoyance and even led to actual physical confrontations.

On the fifth, a post appeared on the social media platform Threads alongside a photo of a passenger sitting with his legs crossed on a subway seat. The post read, "I wish people would live with some common sense."
The passenger in the photo was wearing jeans and sitting with his legs crossed. The toe of a white sneaker sticking out was positioned so closely to the passenger beside him that it appeared just short of touching the other person's black pants.
As the post spread, online users expressed sympathy and shared similar inconveniences they had experienced on public transportation. One user complained, "I feel on edge the entire time because I'm worried that my pants might touch the sole of the crossed-leg passenger's shoe and get dust or dirt on them." Another criticized the behavior, saying, "Making the person next to you and the person across from you uncomfortable just because you want to be comfortable yourself is clearly inconsiderate," and added, "People should observe basic etiquette, especially during busy hours or in cramped seats."
Such disputes over crossing one's legs are considered such a common source of everyday stress that the issue has even been mentioned in a celebrity anecdote. Actor Kim Hee-won once appeared on a variety show and recalled, "I was sitting by the window on a train with my body hunched over and my legs crossed when someone passing by told me, 'Don't cross your legs. It's unpleasant.' I was caught off guard." The story suggested that one's leg posture while using a seat can place a significant visual and spatial burden on others.

The problem is that some cases have gone beyond a simple etiquette dispute and resulted in physical confrontations.
Police previously apprehended a man accused of picking a fight with a woman sitting beside him on Seoul Subway Line 2 because she had crossed her legs and punching her in the shoulder. Investigators found that the man had assaulted her after arguing with her and telling her, "Don't cross your legs."
Transportation and social experts say that, much like 'sprawling'—the practice of sitting with one's legs excessively spread—crossing one's legs is also a representative form of inconsiderate behavior that invades others' physical boundaries and causes friction in the confined space of public transportation.
A sociology expert emphasized, "Because train seats are not particularly spacious for adult men and women, crossing one's legs can cause the tip of a shoe to soil a nearby passenger's clothing or obstruct people walking through the aisle." The expert added, "In densely packed public transportation, maintaining proper posture out of consideration for others and observing basic etiquette are the first steps toward preventing conflict."
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter