Chinese students arrested over assault on restaurant worker

Security camera footage inside the restaurant at the time of the incident. / Yonhap

By Lee Han-soo

Police have arrested three Chinese students for allegedly assaulting a Jeju Island restaurant worker.

The incident happened about 4 a.m. Tuesday when the employee asked four students to leave so the worker could close the shop.

But they refused and asked for more alcohol.

When the employee refused, three of the students started threatening the worker, police said.

They also threw water bottles while saying in Korean “are you ignoring us because we’re Chinese?”

Police said the students pushed the employee into a corner before assaulting the worker.

The employee asked the students to leave several times before the alleged assault.

“The students insisted that it was OK for them to drink due to the time gap between the two countries,” said a restaurant employee who witnessed the alleged assault.

“They were angered from the beginning when we couldn’t serve them the food they ordered because we were out of ingredients. They started to think they were being mistreated because they were Chinese and started behaving aggressively.”

Two of the students were arrested on site.

The other student who participated in the alleged assault was sent to hospital after claiming being injured.

Police have also obtained security camera footage of the incident.