Livestreamer reports being hit several times in world's most visited city after driver objects to being filmed

A livestreamer appeared to be struck during a street argument in Bangkok with a tuk-tuk driver who objected to being filmed, in footage that has split viewers online.

The streamer, who broadcasts on the streaming platform Kick as TAEMIN1998, said he was recording himself rather than the driver, while the driver repeatedly told him to stop filming and leave, Khaosod English reported on Oct. 12.

As the argument escalated, something appeared to hit or graze the streamer's face before a second man entered the frame, and the camera jolted as he seemed to be struck again, the Thai outlet reported. He later said he had been hit several times.

Indian news outlet Asianet News English, which posted a video report on the confrontation on Oct. 5, said the livestream "reportedly took a violent turn" after a heated argument with a local driver over filming, with a local man allegedly assaulting the streamer as the camera kept rolling.

No statement on the incident from Thai police has been reported, and neither the driver nor the second man has been publicly identified.

Khaosod English described TAEMIN1998 as a Korean livestreamer whose content centers on traveling and interacting with people in public. He has about 24,800 followers on Kick and has been streaming from Thailand since late September, moving on to Phuket by Oct. 8, his channel's broadcast archive shows.

Debate over filming strangers

On Reddit, where the footage was reposted, users disagreed over whether he was a "nuisance streamer," a label for creators whose content is seen as disruptive or provocative.

One user called him "very much a nuisance streamer." Another, CreamSodaCassanova, said he was "not a nuisance streamer" but someone who could be unaware and "not street smart."

Reddit user 8forever wrote that the streamer should have stepped back once the driver objected: "You're a guest. Read the room. Respect people's privacy." The same user said people should not treat "ordinary people as unwilling extras" in a livestream, but added that violence was not the right response.

Other users focused on the driver, saying that even if he believed he was being filmed, that "really doesn't make attacking someone acceptable."

Khaosod English argued that tourists should not treat local people, workers or public spaces as "props for a livestream," but said visitors should also be able to expect disagreements to be settled without violence.

Filming in public in Thailand is generally allowed without asking everyone's permission, though privacy laws may apply depending on how the footage is used, the outlet noted.

When the country's Personal Data Protection Act took effect in June 2022, then-Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said it did not prohibit photographing others unintentionally where no damage was caused, Pattaya Mail reported.

Bangkok drew about 30.3 million international arrivals in 2025, the most of any city, according to Euromonitor International's Top 100 City Destinations Index.