Unlicensed Teen Reckless Driving 'Over-Enforcement' Controversy... Lee Jun-seok Says "Police Did Well"

Lee Jun-seok on 'Excessive Suppression' Controversy: "Without Crackdown, Greater Damage Would Have Occurred"
"Called for Expanding Use of Non-Lethal Weapons Like Tasers to Protect Citizens"

On the night of the 5th, two teenagers driving recklessly without a license on a road in Jeju City collided with a police car conducting a crackdown and sustained serious injuries. Photo by MBC News Desk

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Controversy over "excessive crackdown" has erupted after teenage motorcyclists driving recklessly without a license collided with a police car conducting a crackdown and sustained serious injuries. In response, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, praised the police's response, saying, "If the police officers had not actively cracked down on them, it might have caused greater damage."

On the 24th, Lee shared an article about the reckless driving incident involving teenagers on his Facebook, stating, "If the police officers had not actively cracked down on them, it might have caused greater damage as they were speeding without a license."

The incident Lee referred to occurred on the night of the 5th on a road in Jeju City. According to footage released by MBC the previous day, two teenagers riding a motorcycle made a sharp U-turn at a crosswalk and zigzagged on the opposite side of the road. A police car crossed the center line to block them. The motorcycle did not stop and attempted to flee but collided with the police car and fell to the ground. As a result, the driver sustained serious injuries with a fractured cervical vertebra and a 12-week recovery period, while the passenger reportedly suffered torn ligaments in the right arm and leg.

In response, the teenagers announced their intention to sue the police officer driving the patrol car for injury caused by professional negligence. Their parents claim that their child’s life was threatened due to the police’s reckless pursuit and collision.

However, Lee evaluated the controversy over excessive crackdown as "(the police) did well." He explained, "The People Power Party has already stated since last year that excessive responsibility should not be imposed retrospectively on the judgment and actions of on-site police officers in the performance of their duties. We have also urged the expansion of the use of non-lethal restraint weapons such as tasers to protect the safety of other citizens and increased the budget accordingly."

Meanwhile, the police stated regarding the controversy that the motorcycle violated traffic laws 15 times and did not comply with multiple stop orders, so they used minimal physical force.

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