Cosmetics executive under police probe for assault, threats at imported car dealership

A man in his 50s is under police investigation after allegedly assaulting dealership staff and threatening them with retaliation while disputing a defect in an imported vehicle. He is reportedly a well-known figure in the cosmetics industry.

According to YTN and other outlets, the man, identified only as A, an executive at a small cosmetics company, went on a rampage outside an imported car dealership in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Monday around 11 a.m., punching employees.

Closed-circuit television footage from the scene showed A swinging his belt and slapping an employee across the face. Bystanders attempted to restrain him, but he did not stop.

A returned to the store the following day, Tuesday, blocked the entrance with his parked vehicle and threatened staff, saying, "I will get revenge for reporting me to the police."

He was arrested at the scene.

The investigation revealed that A had purchased a luxury sedan worth about 100 million won at the store roughly a month earlier. He allegedly clashed with staff while demanding they acknowledge a defect after a vehicle part was damaged.

A told police he was assaulted first by an employee during a physical altercation.

The store, however, said the trouble began when staff told A the part appeared to have been damaged by his own misuse of the vehicle, and maintained that employees had only pushed him to stop the assault.

Police are investigating A on charges of assault and retaliatory threats.