A woman returning home after undergoing surgery was verbally and physically assaulted by an elderly woman after sitting in a priority seat for vulnerable passengers on a subway.

Recently, a post written by a person identified as A was uploaded to social media, stating, "I got into a dispute with an elderly woman inside a Seoul Subway Line 2 train."

At the time, A was riding in a priority seat because she was not feeling well right after surgery.

According to A, an elderly woman approached her and started a dispute by asking, "Are you elderly or pregnant?"

Although A explained, "I am on my way home after having surgery," the verbal abuse did not stop. The woman demanded that A immediately vacate the seat and eventually ended up striking A in the face.

When A attempted to take pictures with her mobile phone to document the situation, the assault continued.

[Don't you dare upload this. Where, where, where, are you trying to take pictures? How impudent.]

When nearby citizens intervened, saying, "Why are you hitting someone?" and "You shouldn't act like that, even if you are an elder," the woman instead shouted back in protest.

[(No, she's trying to take pictures of me.) Well, please don't do that. You shouldn't behave like that just because you're an adult.]

A stated that she was able to escape the situation with the help of surrounding passengers and reported the incident to the police, adding, "My surgical site is throbbing even more, and I am suffering greatly from mental distress."

The subway's "priority seats for the elderly" were officially renamed "seats for vulnerable passengers" back in 2005.

Under the current Act on the Transportation Convenience of Persons with Disabilities, these priority seats can be used by anyone who experiences difficulties in mobility—not only senior citizens, but also injured individuals, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and those accompanied by children aged 5 or younger.

(Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Lee Eui-seon | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)