Comedian Lee Guk-joo Opens Up About Past Assaults on Public Transport

Comedian Lee Guk-joo recently shared a harrowing experience of being assaulted while using public transportation.

On October 10th, Lee Guk-joo's YouTube channel featured a video titled 'A Lucky Day in Tokyo: No House Key, No Seaweed for Raccoon?! Attempting Japan's Spiciest Level 30! Why Lee Guk-joo Avoided Public Transport.'

In the video, Lee discussed the cost of taxis in Japan and expressed her desire to ride the subway, saying, "I really want to try taking the subway, but it's difficult for me. I'm scared of the subway." She then recounted a past incident on public transport.

Lee shared, "When I was a freshman in college, I was on a bus passing through Cheongnyangni on my way to school. As the bus started, a woman's foot collided with mine. I said, 'It's okay,' and tried to move on, but she suddenly cursed at me and slammed my head against the bus pole." She added, "I was completely unprepared and was assaulted out of nowhere. I remember going to school in a daze."

Lee also recounted a similar experience a week later, "I was on the same route heading home. I gave up my seat for an elderly person, who then placed my bag between their legs and kept talking to me. When I didn't respond, they took my bag and got off the bus, so I had no choice but to follow."

She continued, "The person said, 'I'm really grateful, let's go to a karaoke and sing.' I was 19 at the time and was so scared that I ran away. After these incidents, I became terrified of enclosed spaces and physical contact with strangers, leading me to avoid buses and subways."

Recently, Lee revealed that living in Japan has encouraged her to use public transportation again. She stated, "Living here, I can't just take taxis everywhere. I realized I need to learn how to take the subway," and showed herself riding the subway. Afterward, she remarked, "It's not as bad as I thought," feeling proud of herself.

Reported by Se-yoon Jung, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr