A pack of nine wild boars descended on a golf course in Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Province, at 10 p.m. Thursday.

The animals — one adult sow and eight piglets — emerged from the darkness and made their way onto the course's inward nine at the 10th hole.

The boars blocked the cart path, trapping four golfers who could neither advance nor retreat. When the cart sounded its reverse beep, the adult sow charged toward it repeatedly, keeping the four passengers under sustained threat. The golfers were left in shock, with one woman gripping a driver and bracing for a charge.

A course attendant immediately alerted the clubhouse. A staff member arrived 10 minutes later but stood by without taking any action.

One golfer said the staff member should have done something upon arriving. The employee replied, "I can't sacrifice myself." The response left the golfers speechless.

Groups behind them were also held up, and chaos spread across the hole. After roughly 30 minutes roaming the fairway, the boars gradually disappeared back into the darkness of the hillside. Still shaken and fearing the animals might return, all four golfers rushed through the hole, each posting a double-par score. Getting off that hole was all that mattered.

The group playing behind them was left equally rattled.

"In all my years caddying, I have never seen this many wild boars at once," the course attendant said. A regular visitor said the course had long since become a wildlife haven, with roe deer also making frequent appearances.

A caddie warned that the surrounding forest is home to many snakes, particularly venomous ones. Snake warning signs were posted throughout the course.

The course itself has also suffered losses. The boars tear up turf across the fairways in search of earthworms and grubs — a nutrient-rich food source they have learned to find in the well-maintained grass.

Wild boar sightings typically peak in winter, but the animals have been appearing in summer as well in recent years, raiding crops in nearby residential areas.

The situation underscores the need for Hoengseong-gun to operate a dedicated wildlife capture unit authorized to use firearms.


fob140@heraldcorp.com