A young commuter who went viral for kicking an elderly woman on Taiwan’s metro system has experienced an unexpected surge in social media fame, gaining over 20,000 Instagram followers in less than a week.
Fumika Chang, a National Taiwan University graduate, saw her Instagram following skyrocket from 2,600 to 26,100 followers following an incident on the Taipei Metro’s Red Line.
The Incident
The altercation occurred at Xinyi Anhe Station on the Taipei Metro’s Red Line.
Video footage captured the elderly woman, 73-year-old Tseng, carrying multiple bags and an umbrella while deliberately hitting Chang with one of her bags.
Chang calmly handed her Homme Plissé Issey Miyake shopping bag to another passenger before standing up and kicking Tseng just as she was about to strike again. The kick sent Tseng flying across the carriage into empty seats on the opposite side.
The dispute centred on a priority seat, which Tseng demanded despite numerous other seats being available throughout the train carriage.
Social Media Fame
Chang posted a photo on Instagram the same day as the incident, revealing that her designer shopping bag contained a shawl from the Japanese fashion brand.
The post attracted thousands of new followers and comments praising her as “strong”, “elegant”, and “beautiful”.
She initially archived all but one post on her Instagram account following the incident, though she later unarchived her older posts.
Multiple netizens commenting on her posts claimed they had previously encountered Tseng, with one user thanking Chang for standing up to the elderly woman and stating they had been a victim of her harassment.
Elderly Woman’s Arrest
Tseng was arrested on 1 Oct 2025 at a convenience store on Yanping North Road.
The Taipei Police Department’s Datong Precinct arrested her on an outstanding warrant for larceny issued by the Shilin District Prosecutors Office.
Police revealed Tseng had been convicted in multiple theft cases and previously served time for several shoplifting incidents in 2023.
In June 2025, she was sentenced to 55 days in prison for theft, but failed to report for her sentence, prompting authorities to issue a warrant.
During two consecutive thefts at the same store on 25 Aug 2023, Tseng reportedly justified her actions by claiming the items were for “scientific research”. When arrested, she resisted and shouted, “This is fake! Show me the evidence! Help!” before telling media outside the police station, “Thank you, take as many pictures as possible!”
Priority Seat Guidelines
Taipei Metro police clarified that priority seats on trains are designated according to Taiwan’s People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act. The seats are intended for all passengers with genuine physical or medical needs, not specifically for elderly passengers.
Authorities advised passengers encountering disputes on the metro to remain calm, avoid confrontation, and press the emergency button or report incidents via phone.
Here’s the REAL reason why everyone is hanging plushies on their bags, simplified for you:
