Gyeongju School Zone Accident Concluded to Have 'Intent'... Punishment Harsher Than 'Minsik Law'

National Forensic Service Tentatively Concludes 'Intentionality'... Police Plan to Apply Special Injury Charges
Driver Completely Denies Intentionality in Two Previous On-Site Reenactments by National Forensic Service

On the 25th of last month, an accident occurred in a school zone near an elementary school in Dongcheon-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, where a passenger car collided with a bicycle ridden by an elementary school student. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] The National Forensic Service has sent a report to the police stating that there was "intentionality" in the accident where an SUV driver hit an elementary school student's bicycle from behind in a school zone in front of an elementary school in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk. Accordingly, the suspect is expected to be charged with special injury, which carries a harsher penalty than the 'Min-sik Law.'

According to the Gyeongju Police Station on the 18th, the National Forensic Service recently reached a provisional conclusion through two on-site verifications that "the driver showed intentionality at the time of the collision." The police plan to apply special injury charges to the SUV driver A (41) and request an arrest warrant.

Earlier, at around 1:38 p.m. on the 25th of last month, an SUV hit a 9-year-old elementary school student B riding a bicycle from behind in a school zone near an elementary school in Dongcheon-dong, Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk.

After the accident, A did not immediately report to 119 but talked with the injured child. Instead, a witness nearby called 119, and B was transported to the hospital. B was injured in the leg and received hospital treatment due to the accident.

After the accident, the victim's family claimed that A acted intentionally.

The family asserted that "B had a quarrel with the driver's child at the playground, and the driver chased B for 200 meters in the car because A did not apologize, deliberately causing the accident." The family also released CCTV footage capturing the accident on social networking services (SNS).

An on-site verification of the traffic accident that occurred in a child protection zone near an elementary school in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk was additionally conducted on the 9th. / Photo by Yonhap News

As controversy over intentionality arose, the police formed a joint investigation team consisting of the traffic crime investigation team and the criminal team on the 27th of last month, two days after the accident, to investigate the case. At that time, A stated in the police investigation, "I did not intentionally hit the child."

Subsequently, the police and the National Forensic Service summoned A on the 2nd and 9th to reenact the accident and conducted a detailed analysis using equipment. Even during the two reenactments, A completely denied intentionality.

The police have been considering applying either the Min-sik Law or special injury charges to A depending on the National Forensic Service's conclusion regarding intentionality.

If there was no intentionality, the Min-sik Law would apply; if intentionality was found, the more severe special injury charge would likely be applied.

With the National Forensic Service sending a provisional conclusion that intentionality existed, the police plan to request an arrest warrant for A on special injury charges.

The Min-sik Law stipulates that causing a child's death in a school zone traffic accident can result in life imprisonment or imprisonment for more than three years, and causing injury can lead to a fine of 5 to 30 million won or imprisonment for 1 to 15 years. Meanwhile, special injury carries imprisonment for 1 to 10 years without a fine.

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