[Comprehensive] Minsik's Parents: "The National Assembly Created the Minsik Act... Do Not Attack"

Driver sentenced to 2 years in prison for school zone fatality triggering the 'Minsik Act'
Minsik's parents: "The Minsik Act is a law for children"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The parents of the late Kim Minsik expressed understanding of drivers' concerns and confusion regarding the so-called "Minsik Act" (a revised law related to children's protection zones that strengthens punishment for perpetrators of child traffic accidents). They said, "If there is any misunderstanding, we hope the government will clarify it, and we wish that those who have moved beyond the misunderstanding would stop attacking us."

In an interview with NoCut News on the 28th, Kim Minsik's parents spoke about the controversy surrounding the "Minsik Act," saying, "The law was proposed and amended by the National Assembly. It would be unfair to say that we created this law." They added, "We are being targeted by criticism. This law was made to protect children, but sometimes we wonder if we should have stepped forward."

Regarding criticism of excessive punishment for perpetrators, they said, "The intention was to raise awareness among drivers, and we did not decide on the details. Since it was discussed and passed by the National Assembly, we don't have much to say about that part." They emphasized, "The Minsik Act is not a law for retaliation."

They continued, "If parts of the Minsik Act need to be amended or supplemented, we do not view the process of making it a perfect law negatively."

Meanwhile, the driver in his 40s who triggered the "Minsik Act" was sentenced to imprisonment without labor on the 27th.

The Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court, Criminal Division 2 (Judge Choi Jae-won), sentenced A (44), who was indicted on charges including violation of the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling (causing death), to two years of imprisonment without labor. Imprisonment without labor involves detention in prison but does not require compulsory labor, distinguishing it from a prison sentence.

The court stated, "The accident occurred in a children's protection zone with a two-lane road and a crosswalk, near a middle school, an elementary school, and apartments. The defendant struck the victim and applied the brakes late. If the brakes had been applied sooner, the death could have been prevented."

It added, "The parents of Minsik have suffered severe mental anguish and demand strict punishment for the defendant. There are also concerns about the aftereffects of the mental shock experienced by the younger sibling who was involved in the accident. However, considering that the defendant has shown remorse and that the vehicle's speed at the time was below the speed limit (30 km/h), these factors were taken into account in sentencing."

A was indicted for an incident on September 11 last year at around 6:10 p.m., where he hit the Kim Minsik brothers while they were crossing a crosswalk in a children's protection zone in front of an elementary school in Asan City, Chungnam Province. Kim Minsik died, and his younger brother sustained injuries requiring two weeks of medical treatment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.