[Summary] "Clear Act of Murder" Gyeongju School Zone Accident, Will Minsik Act Be Applied?

Controversy Over SUV Accident in Gyeongju School Zone
Victim Child's Sister Claims on SNS "Deliberately Hit the Child"
Police Investigating Exact Circumstances Including Application of 'Minsik Law'

The so-called 'Gyeongju School Zone Accident' video. The footage shows an SUV vehicle hitting a child riding a bicycle in a school zone near an elementary school in Gyeongbuk Gyeongju. The person inside the red circle is the injured child. Photo by the injured child's sister, captured from SNS.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] A driver who hit a 9-year-old child riding a bicycle with a sports utility vehicle (SUV) on a road near an elementary school in a child protection zone (school zone) in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, is under police investigation. This incident, known as the 'Gyeongju School Zone Accident,' has caused an uproar after the victim child's older sister posted a video of the accident on social media. Since the accident occurred in a school zone, attention is also focused on whether the strengthened penalties under the 'Min-sik Law' will be applied.

The Gyeongju Police Station in Gyeongbuk announced on the 26th that they are investigating an accident reported on the 25th at 1:38 p.m., where an SUV collided with the rear part of A (9), a boy riding a bicycle, on a road near Dongcheon Elementary School in Gyeongju.

The accident occurred 180 meters from the elementary school within the school zone. The family of the victim child, A, is reportedly claiming that the accident was intentional. A suffered an injury to his right leg as a result of the accident.

During the police investigation, A's parents stated that "the perpetrator seemed to have intentionally chased and caused the accident after A, who was playing with the perpetrator's daughter B (5) at a nearby playground, hit B and left without apologizing." The driver of the vehicle at the time of the accident is known to be B's mother (30 years old).

A video capturing the accident scene posted on the 26th by a netizen claiming to be the older sister of the victim child on her SNS. Photo by the victim child's older sister (Instagram capture)

The closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the accident scene clearly shows a passenger car hitting the bicycle from behind. A's family claims that the car chased A from the nearby playground for about 200 meters and deliberately caused the accident.

The police have secured surrounding CCTV footage and are investigating the circumstances of the accident with the driver. Since the traffic accident occurred in a school zone, they are also investigating whether it violates the 'Min-sik Law.'

The incident was also reported on social media platforms such as Instagram and online communities on the 25th. The video posted on social media shows an SUV appearing behind the child riding a bicycle and colliding with him. The video is said to have been posted by A's older sister.

The netizen who posted the video stated, "The child in the video is my precious only younger brother."

He claimed, "There was a scuffle between A (the netizen's younger brother), a lower-grade elementary school student, and B, and B's mother chased A, who was riding a bicycle, into the opposite lane and deliberately hit him with the car. The accident was intentional, and it occurred in a school zone."

He added, "Details are still being confirmed, but deliberately chasing a child riding a bicycle with a car and hitting him is unimaginable for any human being. A was just admitted to the hospital today."

He continued, "Although I described it as a scuffle, the truth is that the children had a trivial disagreement, but the driver chased the child, drove against traffic, crossed the center line, and deliberately hit the child. The accident happened near Dongcheon Elementary School's school zone in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and even the road before the corner is part of the school zone," emphasizing the point.

He also said, "The driver did not even get out of the car to ask if the child was okay. Since the collision was intentional, there was no reason to ask if he was okay. Moreover, another witness reported the incident to 119 (emergency services)."

He further stated, "This is a clear act of murder," and lamented, "A second-grade elementary school child said, 'Sister, I now have trauma and can't ride a bicycle anymore. I also have trauma about cars and can't ride them anymore.'"

According to the 'Min-sik Law,' a perpetrator who causes death or injury due to negligence of the duty to drive safely within a child protection zone can face life imprisonment or imprisonment for three years or more if a child dies, and if injury occurs, a fine of 5 million to 30 million won or imprisonment for 1 to 15 years.

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