Footage shows two women assaulting other customers for taking too long in a photo booth — an incident that has sent shockwaves in South Korea and put the company that runs the booth under scrutiny.
During the incident that went viral after surveillance footage circulated widely online, two Korean tourists were filmed assaulting a pair of women at a photo booth in Nam Tu Liem in Hanoi, Vietnam, on July 11.
The booth is operated by Photoism, a popular South Korean photo booth company. While Nam Tu Liem is known for its large Korean community in the Vietnamese capital.
According to a report by The Korea Times, the incident reportedly began when one of the Korean tourists told the Vietnamese women inside the photo booth to hurry up because they were taking too long.
한국인 여성이 베트남 🇻🇳 하노이에서
오래 사진 찍는다고 베트남 여성을 폭행 함
폭행을 지켜만 본 사진관은 폐업
여행이나 출장시 조심하세요
pic.twitter.com/7KzDAbh8h8— I AM GROK (@Grok_Korea) July 17, 2025
Local media reports that one of the Vietnamese women said she and her friend were still within their booked and paid time in the photo booth when the tourists began yelling at them from outside.
However, the South Korean tourists began physically attacking the locals when they continued using the photo booth.
Surveillance footage shows one of the Korean women slapping a Vietnamese woman, knocking off her hat, and pulling her hair.
Updated: CCTV footage shows two Korean girls taking turns assaulting a Vietnamese girl — repeatedly pulling her hair, hitting her head, and kicking her in the stomach. The incident only stopped when a male student stepped in to intervene. pic.twitter.com/lkTW04WiEs
— Nguyễn Thị Linh (@lininglili) July 14, 2025
The South Korean tourists then take the altercation outside the photo booth. The pair takes turns pulling the Vietnamese woman’s hair, hitting her head, and kicking her in the stomach. The incident only stopped when a male student stepped in to intervene. One of the victims later reported symptoms including headaches, nausea, and loss of appetite.
Photo Booth Company Faces Criticism
The attack has sparked outrage in both South Korea and Vietnam. Photoism, the brand behind the photo booth, says it reported the incident to local authorities and provided assistance to the parties involved.
Photoism issued a statement expressing “deep regret and concern” for the incident, saying it prioritizes “the safety and positive experience of all customers, regardless of nationality, age, or gender.”
However, according to Korean news outlets, Photoism has since received a flood of one-star Google reviews and criticism over how it handled the situation. A photo booth employee told local media it was the first time such an incident had happened there.
Photo booths are especially popular in South Korea, where they are common in busy urban areas, and the incident has shocked many in the country.
As public backlash grew, one of the Korean women involved was fired by her employer in South Korea. Reports also claimed she agreed to pay $2,290 (60 million dong) for the victim’s medical expenses — a claim later denied by the Vietnamese woman, who says she had not been contacted about compensation.