Driver Arrested for Accident in School Zone... "First Arrest Case under Minsik's Law"

Court Issues Arrest Warrant... "Risk of Flight"

In front of an elementary school in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, a child protection zone traffic safety sign was installed last March. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Since the 'Min-sik Law,' which imposes aggravated punishment on drivers who cause accidents involving children under 13 in school zones, has been in effect since March, the first case of a driver being detained under this law has emerged. The driver was found to have hit a child while driving without a license and speeding in a school zone.

The Gimpo Police Station in Gyeonggi announced on the 8th that they had detained A (39) on charges of violating the revised Road Traffic Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

A is accused of hitting and injuring a 7-year-old child who was crossing a crosswalk in front of an apartment road designated as a school zone in Gimpo City at 7:06 p.m. on April 6 while driving his passenger car.

According to the police investigation, the child was crossing the crosswalk with his mother and younger sibling. At the time, the pedestrian signal was off, and the child was hit after turning back to pick up an item dropped by the younger sibling and re-entering the crosswalk.

A did not violate the signal when entering the crosswalk, but it was confirmed that he neglected his duty to drive safely by not paying close attention to his surroundings despite no obstacles blocking his view.

Moreover, A was found to have driven at a speed exceeding the school zone limit of 30 km/h, driving at over 40 km/h while his driver's license was suspended due to drunk driving.

Considering these factors, the police applied for and obtained an arrest warrant for A, even though the injured child was not seriously hurt in the accident. The court issued the arrest warrant citing concerns about the risk of flight.

Earlier, on May 21 at 12:15 p.m., police applied the Min-sik Law and requested an arrest warrant for a driver in his 50s who fatally hit a 2-year-old child near a bus stop while making an illegal U-turn in a school zone on a road in Banwol-dong, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju City, Jeollabuk-do. However, the court dismissed the warrant, stating that there was room to dispute the establishment of the crime. This accident was the first fatal accident since the Min-sik Law came into effect.

On the 25th of the same month, police applied for an arrest warrant on charges of special injury, recognizing intent, against a driver who hit a child riding a bicycle with his SUV near an elementary school in Dongcheon-dong, Gyeongju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do. However, this was also dismissed.

Meanwhile, the Min-sik Law is a revised Road Traffic Act and Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes aimed at reducing child traffic accidents within school zones.

The bill was proposed in the National Assembly and passed the plenary session in December last year following the traffic accident in front of an elementary school in Asan City, Chungnam Province, where the late Kim Min-sik lost his life. It has been in effect since March 25.

Accordingly, if a driver causes an accident in a school zone resulting in injury to the victim, they face imprisonment from one year to 15 years or a fine ranging from 5 million to 30 million won.

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