![A playground. This photo is unrelated to the article. [123rf]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/10/05/news-p.v1.20261005.41ff900d425b4d50beebf2892d9a3331_P1.jpg)
An elderly man smoking at an apartment complex playground assaulted a resident who politely asked him to put out his cigarette.
According to JTBC's "Sageon Banjang," a crime news program that aired Friday, a man in his 30s identified as A was spending time at a playground in an apartment complex in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, when he spotted a man estimated to be in his 60s or 70s smoking there.
A politely asked the man to stop smoking, noting that the playground was shared by children.
The man reacted with hostility, and A took out his phone to film the scene as evidence before calling police.
The man then charged straight at A, cigarette still in hand — even though A was holding his 21-month-old child at the time.
"I was holding my baby and had my phone in my hand when the man suddenly rushed at me," A said. "I ran about 200 meters with the child in my arms and kept circling around the playground equipment to avoid being caught."
The man eventually cornered A inside the playground equipment, and A quickly handed the child to his wife. The attacker did not stop even then.
The man grabbed A by the collar and the front of his shirt. Neighbors intervened to separate the two, but the man refused to let go of A's clothing.
A sustained injuries to his shoulder, back and fingers requiring 20 days of medical treatment, and had to visit a hospital twice a week for two weeks.
The man also allegedly threatened to set fire to A's home.
Police booked the man on charges including assault causing bodily harm and referred the case to prosecutors.
123@heraldcorp.com
