A Man in His 30s Arrested for Crashing into the 5·18 Historic Site 'Sangmudae Plaque' and Fleeing

The broken state of the Sangmudae monument in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (left photo) and the current state covered with a waterproof tarp (right photo).

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] A man in his 30s who hit and fled from a monument marking the historical site of the May 18 Democratic Movement was caught by the police.

The Gwangju Western Police Station announced on the 28th that they have apprehended and are investigating A (30) on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act for hitting the 'Sangmudae monument' marking the May 18 Democratic Movement historical site and failing to take any action.

A is accused of driving his vehicle past Gwangju Urban Corporation in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, around 4 a.m. on the 24th, colliding with and damaging the 'Sangmudae monument' installed on the central divider traffic island, and fleeing the scene.

Currently, the monument is covered with a waterproof tarp and is scheduled to be restored once the rainy season ends.

During the investigation, A reportedly stated that "the accident happened while I was trying to pick up something from the driver's seat floor."

The monument was erected when Sangmudae was established and has been preserved to mark the former site of Sangmudae, which is now designated as Historical Site No. 17 of the May 18 Movement.

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