Photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

A middle-aged woman who stood in an empty parking space to hold it with her body has drawn widespread criticism after the incident was shared online.

The story surfaced recently on Threads after a user described a frustrating encounter at a public parking lot in Dongtan, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

The poster, identified only as A, said it was a Friday evening and spots were scarce when a woman who appeared to be in her 50s planted herself in front of an empty space to claim it. "When I tried to park, she said, 'My car is coming soon,' and refused to move," A wrote.

When A challenged her — asking how a person could reserve a parking space with their body — the woman reportedly grew angry.

"Even the parking lot attendant came over and told her that vehicles have priority, but she insisted she had always done it this way and held her ground for more than 15 minutes," A said. "Her husband showed up and asked her to step aside, but she kept insisting she couldn't move."

A added that it was the first time witnessing "parking spot squatting" in person after only ever seeing it on social media. "Is it really acceptable for a person to hold a parking space with their body? How can someone have so little common sense?" A wrote.

Other users who saw the post were quick to weigh in. "A parking lot is for cars, not for people to reserve," one commenter wrote. Others asked, "Are there really still people who do this?" and added, "She should be ashamed of herself."

The behavior has come up multiple times on Han Moon-chul TV, a YouTube channel specializing in traffic accident cases. Attorney Han Moon-chul, citing similar incidents, said there is no law anywhere that allows a person to reserve a parking space in advance. "When it comes to 'people first or cars first,' human safety naturally takes priority — but the rule for using a parking space is that vehicles come first," he said.


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