“Sit down before I tie you to the cage” ... Song Ga-in, who had been laughing it off, finally shouts and warns of ejection

[Financial News] As outdoor events take place across the country during the autumn festival season, the problem of “disruptive drunks” who get rowdy while heavily intoxicated during performances and interfere with others’ enjoyment has once again come under scrutiny. In one incident, singer Song Ga-in repeatedly warned an audience member causing a disturbance from the stage and intervened herself to stop him.
On the 27th, videos showing what happened during a celebratory performance at the 11th Gangjin Bay Dancing Reed Festival, held in Gangjin County, South Jeolla Province, on the 25th, began spreading rapidly on online communities and social media (SNS). Despite the rainy, inclement weather, many spectators stayed in their seats wearing raincoats.
The trouble began when a male audience member seated near the front started shouting while drunk. Mid-performance, Song Ga-in gently tried to calm him, saying, “Sir, please be quiet. How much have you had to drink?” and “I know you’re having a good time, but you shouldn’t bother other people.” Even when the drunk man made the unreasonable demand that she call him “oppa,” she tried to restore order with her characteristic folksy dialect and banter, saying, “Even if you think Ga-in is that pretty, please calm down a little,” and “You need to sit still. If you do that one more time, I’ll chase you down.”
But the drunk man didn’t sit down and escalated his antics, eventually taking off his clothes and throwing them. As the disruption to the audience’s enjoyment reached a peak, Song Ga-in’s tone grew firm.
Song Ga-in raised her voice, saying, “Do that one more time and you’ll have to leave. You’ll be removed. Sit down!” When the drunk man caused another disturbance, she rebuked him sharply: “Stay still. Stay still before I tie you to that cage over there,” and “Be quiet now and shut your mouth.” She then thanked the majority of the audience for keeping order in the rain, prompted them to applaud the event organizers’ security staff and the police, and finished the performance like a pro.
After the video spread, online commenters criticized the drunk man’s reckless behavior, saying, “It must have been really bad for a singer to shout like that onstage,” and “Etiquette education for drinking while watching performances at festivals is urgently needed.”
Making a drunken disturbance at an outdoor festival or performance where large numbers of people gather can go beyond being a simple matter of etiquette and become grounds for criminal punishment.
Article 3 of the current Punishment of Minor Offenses Act stipulates that anyone who gets drunk and behaves rowdily or makes a disturbance through coarse language or conduct in a place where many people gather or pass through may be punished by a fine of up to 100,000 won, detention, or a minor fine.
If the disturbance is repeated or severe enough to effectively halt or delay a performance, and is deemed to involve the use of force, the offender may be charged with obstruction of business under Article 314 of the Criminal Act and face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 15 million won.
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