Commuters wearing masks pass through a corridor at Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul's subway Line 5 in Jongno-gu on Dec. 23, 2022. [Photo by Lim Se-jun]
Commuters wearing masks pass through a corridor at Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul's subway Line 5 in Jongno-gu on Dec. 23, 2022. [Photo by Lim Se-jun]

As a sudden cold snap has prompted more Seoul residents to bundle up in heavy winter clothing, an account of a puffer jacket being slashed by a sharp object aboard subway Line 5 has drawn widespread attention online.

The post, written by a person identified only as A, describing the incident that occurred Thursday, circulated across multiple online communities and social media platforms Friday.

"I had a baffling experience on subway Line 5," A wrote. "My perfectly fine puffer jacket was slashed open and all the filling spilled out — and even the knit I was wearing underneath got a hole in it."

A said the initial assumption was that the jacket had snagged on something, but the clean, sharp cut of the fabric made it clear someone had done it deliberately. "It's terrifying that something like this can happen on a packed subway during the morning commute," A wrote, asking whether filing a police report would allow authorities to check closed-circuit television footage.

Photos shared with the post showed a black puffer jacket with multiple slashes across the outer fabric, white filling spilling out through the cuts. A blue knit sweater worn underneath also had a visible hole.

A's account prompted other users to share similar experiences of their own.

One commenter said someone slashed a jacket and fled on a morning commute subway in February. "Another passenger told me my jacket was torn — that's how I found out," the commenter wrote. "When I took it to be repaired, the tailor said the cut was perfectly square, just like a box cutter had been used."

Another user said the back of a fur coat had been slashed in a long, straight line, also apparently by a box cutter.

It was not known whether A had in fact filed a police report or whether anyone had been identified as responsible.


jshan@heraldcorp.com