A costumed 'Spider-Man' appeared at the Jamsil subway station in Seoul and became the center of attention after diffusing a confrontation between a homeless person and a public worker.
Around 9:10 PM KST on November 11, the costumed man stepped into the fray just as an altercation was about to escalate. According to Seoul Metro, a station worker was trying to have a homeless individual, who was laid out on the floor, exit the station. As tensions brewed and the homeless individual adopted an aggressive stance, the 'Spider-Man' intervened to quell the conflict.
Witnesses at the scene confirmed that the individual in the Spider-Man costume managed to maintain peace until the arrival of the police, at which point he promptly 'disappeared.'
The following day, footage of the mysterious 'Spider-Man' surfaced on social media. The man behind the mask revealed himself under the username 'slash_0_' and responded to questions and comments regarding his act.
In response to questions about his costume and whether it was leftover from a recent Halloween festival, 'slash_0_' explained, "I never went to a Halloween festival. I simply go to Jamsil where there are many children around so that I can take pictures and provide them with happy memories. On the actual day of Halloween, I stayed home!"
The masked 'Spider-Man' received words of praise from the community for his timely intervention. He explained that another eye-witness first brought him to the scene. While the other citizen called the police, he had tried to maintain peace and waited about 10 minutes until the police arrived.
Touched by the support, he wrote: "Thank you so much... Actually, when I asked the others at first what was going on, I almost kidded myself and everyone that I 'probably should be there, right?' And the others said 'yes!' So, my mind drew a blank when I arrived... I am just a man in an elastic suit, that's all."
Netizens flooded the comments section with more anecdotes and praises for the 'Spider-Man' who they believed genuinely exemplified the characteristics of the superhero. One netizen also commented on his 'perfect head shape and physique,' attributes that made him a fitting model for the Spider-Man costume.
In a comedic anecdote, a bystander is reported to have asked permission if they could take a picture, to which he responded: "Oh, yes, of course!"
More reactions include:
"Oh my god, what a real Spider-Man"
"He is such a good person..".
"His mentality is like a Spider-Man...it's not easy to enter a scene like that to break up a fight"
"Oh my god... he is so warm"
"Also the way the other civilians told him that he should go to the scene is so funny lol"
"He is a real Spider-Man..."
"Okay, but why does his body even look like a Spider-Man?!"
"He is so cool....humble and kind"
"The way he works and cares for the children is also like a Spider-Man omg"
"He looks perfect in that elastic suit though"
"I am in tears"
"The children are so lucky"
"My faith in humanity has gone up"