A South Korean man was charged with overstaying his visa after he was filmed directing traffic in the middle of a busy road in Thong Lo, Bangkok, on Friday, July 24.
The footage, shared on TikTok by user @prachaya62, showed the man shirtless and wearing only black shorts and trainers. The clip was posted with the caption, “#Thisisthailand #Thonglonumberone #crazysergeant.” He was later identified as a 51 year old South Korean national.
In the video, the South Korean man stood in the middle of the road in Soi Thong Lo 15 directing vehicles, leaving motorists confused as they slowed to avoid hitting him. The disruption caused temporary traffic congestion.
After a while, the foreign man retrieved a white shirt hanging on a traffic cone, put it on and walked back to the pavement. No collisions or injuries were reported.
The video quickly gained attention on Thai social media. Channel 7 later identified the location as Soi Thong Lo 15 and reported that the man was staying at a hotel in nearby Soi Thong Lo 16.
According to the media outlet, residents and motorcycle taxi riders were familiar with the man and regularly saw him dressed neatly while dining at restaurants in the neighbourhood.
Some residents claimed the man only behaved erratically after using cannabis and believed the incident may have been linked to its consumption. Police have not confirmed those claims.
Residents also told the media they had never seen the man behave violently or assault anyone, although they acknowledged that his actions on the road posed a danger to both himself and other road users.
According to Channel 7, police arrested the man on July 25 after the video attracted widespread public attention. Officers said the South Korean national had overstayed his visa for years and is now in custody pending legal proceedings and deportation.
@prachya62
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