Taiwan man, 68, punches man, 20, for not giving up priority seat on train, gets charged by police

A 68-year-old man in Taiwan was charged with assault after he punched a 20-year-old man for refusing to give up a priority seat on the metro.

The incident happened around 6pm on Jan. 27, on the Taipei metro, UDN Stars reported.

Police investigations revealed that the elderly man, surnamed Wang (transliterated), was offered a seat by other passengers when he got on the train that evening.

However, he was unhappy that a young man, surnamed Pan (transliterated), was sitting in the priority seat and did not get up to offer it to him.

He scolded Pan for being "poorly educated", prompting Pan to stand up and argue with him.

During the quarrel, Wang punched Pan in the chin and wrist.

A few stops later, both men alighted the train, and the station staff reported the incident to the police.

Wang later admitted to assaulting Pan, who said that he planned to press charges.

The police took both of them to a nearby police station, and ultimately charged Wang with assault.

Continued to quarrel

A video shared on Threads that evening showed the two men talking to metro staff and police officers at a train platform.

A man, likely Wang, could be heard shouting, "Taiwanese people have failed in education."

Comments under the video largely sided with Pan, with some saying that since others offered Wang a seat, he should have been satisfied.

One felt that someone in Pan's situation had no obligation to give up their seat, but if it were the user themselves, they would just do so anyway.

Priority seats on the Taipei metro have sparked controversy before, notably when a viral video from September 2025 showed a passenger kicking a 73-year-old woman who had berated and hit her for not giving up a priority seat.

Top images from yutewolf/Threads and Canva