“Practicing bunker shots?” ... Couple caught swinging golf clubs on a beach in Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province

[Financial News]  A couple was spotted practicing their swings while hitting golf balls on a beach in Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province. As people continue to swing golf clubs on a beach frequented by other visitors, some say regulations are needed to prevent accidents.
A video of “Case Leader,” released on the “JTBC News” YouTube channel on the 19th, showed a couple practicing golf on a beach in Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province. They swung their clubs and hit the ball hard enough to send sand flying.
Hitting golf balls at bathing beaches or on other beaches has caused problems in the past. On August 2, 2021, a man was seen practicing golf at Jinha Beach in Ulju County, Ulsan.
A similar incident occurred on a beach in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, in October 2024. At the time, a man and a woman practiced golf among people viewing an exhibition, and the golf balls flew in multiple directions.
Strong winds can make it difficult to predict the direction a golf ball will travel when hit on a beach, posing a danger to people nearby.
There is also a legal interpretation that hitting golf balls while knowing there are pedestrians nearby could incur criminal liability, even if no one is actually injured.
Attorney Park Seong-hoon said, “Even if the ball was hit straight, if there was an awareness that it might veer off course and hit a visitor, and that nothing could be done about it, the person could be punished for attempted bodily injury with dolus eventualis.”

Meanwhile, current law has no provision specifically prohibiting golf practice at bathing beaches. However, anyone who threatens another person’s safety or causes harm may be subject to civil liability or criminal penalties.

[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter