Police detain two foreign students after violent night-time clash in Pyeongtaek park
South Korean police arrested a Russian and a Kyrgyz man in their 20s after a late-night brawl involving about ten foreign nationals at a park in Pyeongtaek.
Around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, authorities received a call about a group of foreigners engaged in a violent altercation at a park in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Video captured several people surrounding a man, striking him with clubs and kicking him, while neighborhood-watch volunteers blew whistles in an attempt to break up the fight. The assailants later regrouped and continued the assault at another spot, using both metal and wooden bats, some of which were fitted with nails.
Police arrived, arrested a Russian and a Kyrgyz national, both in their 20s and on student visas, on charges under the Act on Punishment of Violent Acts. The two were hospitalized with bone fractures and say they were assaulted without provocation. Officers also seized broken wooden clubs and additional bats from the suspects' vehicles and are still searching for the other participants, believed to number at least ten foreign nationals.
Why it matters
The incident highlights safety concerns and the challenges of managing public order involving foreign residents in South Korea.
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