A recent report on the Korean news has reminded me that I may never really understand the workings of people’s minds here. What am I saying – ”may never’? I can’t even understand the workings of the minds of the people I grew up with….
Seems this guy bought a car at a Hyundai dealership, and it was a lemon. Despite the reputation that Hyundai cars have in some quarters, this is actually a rarity these days. All sorts of things were wrong with the car apparently, and it was basically undriveable. 
Within two weeks of purchasing it, he took it back to the dealership and demanded that the salesman who flogged it to him replace the car. The salesman spoke to Hyundai, and they basically came back with “We’ll fix it, but we won’t replace it. Not our problem.”
The guy who bought the car was irate, and demanded a replacement. The salesman, caught between his bosses, with whom he couldn’t possibly argue, and the irate customer, who wouldn’t take no for an answer, stonewalled.
The guy went away, came back with a container of gasoline, flung it onto the salesman and himself, and set it alight. He set himself on fire, apparently in protest.
My sympathies are with the car salesman, of course. He didn’t have much of a choice in the little drama. The bit I find incomprehensible is why the irate customer set himself on fire over a car. A f–king car. I just can’t get my head around the self-immolation thing. Even if someone snaps in Canada, they’ll go on a murderous rampage with a firearm or something, rather than set themselves alight. Or was this guy just a nutjob unrepresentative of his peers? I don’t know.
Both survived the episode, apparently, and are recovering in hospital. Hyundai, of course, is denying all responsibility and refusing to assist in the salesman’s hospital bills.
Thoughts?
Category:
Korea-related