A man who caused a disturbance by demanding tellers at a local bank to smile while working was ordered five days of detention in a rare ruling.

The Seoul Central District Court said Monday it sent down the order against the man identified by his surname Huh, 35, who was indicted for obstruction of business and assault.
Huh was brought to the summary court after visiting a bank in Seoul a number of times on April 8, accusing the female bank tellers there of being “unpleasant.” He demanded the clerks smile, saying they were in the service industry, while delaying operations such as by claiming he could not write. The bank ended up tending to the man for an hour as he continuously asked the tellers to recount the money he withdrew.

“There is no person in the world that has the right to demand another to smile. ... There is a problem with Huh’s perception that a worker in the service industry must cater to all the customers’ needs,” the ruling said.

It is rare for the summary court to order a detention. The ruling came amid increasing reports of cases in which customers wrongfully demand special treatment from service people in South Korea.

One prominent case involved a department store in Incheon in October last year. A video went viral showing two customers forcing the store’s workers to kneel down on the floor, demanding better service.

A report by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute showed last month that 35.1 percent of 11.98 million workers in the service industry said they were exposed to emotional or sexual violence.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)