Prosecutors Seek 4-Year Prison Sentence for Driver in First Fatality Under 'Min-sik Law'

The prosecution has sought a prison sentence for a driver in his 50s who struck and killed a two-year-old child in a school zone in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] The prosecution has requested a prison sentence for a driver who struck and killed a two-year-old child in a school zone.

According to the legal community on the 1st, at the sentencing hearing held at Jeonju District Court's 12th Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Lee Young-ho), the prosecution requested a four-year prison term for A (54), who was indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Minsik-i Act).

The prosecutor explained, "This case involves the pain of the victim," adding, "A two-year-old boy died after being hit by an illegal U-turn vehicle that crossed the center line in the school zone, and the mother who witnessed the scene at the site screamed, leaving an indelible pain for the bereaved family."

He continued, "Although the defendant caused the accident, he has expressed remorse and said he would do whatever it takes to ease the pain of the bereaved family, so we gave him continuous opportunities to reach a settlement," adding, "The victim's side forgave him, leading to this court hearing, but the defendant insists that it was not a school zone. I want to ask if he has considered how much pain the victim's mother is enduring because of this."

In response, A's defense attorney stated, "The defendant, who is also raising children, feels guilty about the crime and lives in pain," and argued, "However, the legal dispute in court is whether the accident site was indeed a school zone, not a lack of remorse for this case."

He added, "The accident site was not marked as a school zone, and the driver could not have recognized it as such," and requested leniency, saying, "Please consider that the defendant apologized and reached a settlement with the bereaved family, and that this was his first traffic accident."

In his final statement, A said, "I am sorry. I have no excuse, and I feel so guilty about causing such a serious accident that I cannot drive over 50 km/h," adding, "I apologize to the bereaved family. I am very sorry."

A is accused of hitting and killing B (2) with his sports utility vehicle (SUV) in a school zone in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, at around 12:15 p.m. on May 21 last year. This was the first fatal accident after the enforcement of the Minsik-i Act, which strengthens penalties for drivers causing accidents in school zones.

At the time, it was revealed that A made an illegal U-turn on a road without a central divider and struck B, who was standing at the edge of the road in front of a bus stop. According to the National Forensic Service's analysis, A's vehicle speed was between 9 and 18 km/h, which did not exceed the school zone speed limit of 30 km/h.

A admitted most of the charges during the police investigation but denied intentionality, saying, "I did not see the child while turning the car." Accordingly, the prosecution initiated a criminal mediation process in July last year to restore the victim's actual damages. Although the mediation was established in December of the same year, considering the seriousness of the case, it was referred to a formal trial.

The Minsik-i Act includes provisions for aggravated punishment of offenders who cause death or injury due to negligence of the duty to drive safely in school zones. If a traffic accident causes injury to a child, the offender faces 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.