The Judge, Defendant, and Bereaved Families All Cried... 6 Years Imprisonment in the 'Suwon School Zone Death Case'

On May, 8-year-old Joeun-gyeol crushed to death by bus
Bus driver ignored signal and made right turn causing tragedy
Sentenced to 6 years in prison, bereaved family "will appeal"

Both the presiding judge, the defendant, and the bereaved family all cried. This was the scene at Suwon District Court on the 14th. It was the day of sentencing for a man in his 50s, a city bus driver who violated the stop signal in a children's protection zone (School Zone) and made a right turn, hitting and killing 8-year-old Jo Eun-gyeol. This is the trial of the so-called 'Suwon School Zone City Bus Death Case.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Hwang In-seong, chief judge of the 12th Criminal Division at Suwon District Court, said, "I assume that neither the bereaved family nor the defendant will be satisfied with the sentence. The case of a young life lost to the afterlife is different from a general traffic accident," but considering that the defendant was not intentional but negligent, and taking into account sentencing in similar cases, he sentenced the defendant to six years in prison. He added, "I want to say that I made efforts in determining the sentence," and tearfully said, "Above all, I hope Eun-gyeol rests peacefully in heaven, and I offer my condolences to the bereaved family." Hearing this, the defendant, Mr. A, also shed tears and bowed to the bereaved family after the sentencing.

The Suwon School Zone City Bus Death Case occurred around 12:30 p.m. on May 10th at the intersection in front of Hwamaesil Library in Suwon, where city bus number 13-4 hit second-grade elementary school student Jo Eun-gyeol in a so-called 'yeokgwa' accident. Despite the signal changing to stop, the bus attempted a right turn and caused the accident. 'Yeokgwa' is a term used in traffic accident precedents referring to an accident where a vehicle hits a person and runs over them. At the time, Jo's parents had to watch the horrific scene of their son being crushed by the bus from across the crosswalk with their own eyes.

The court stated, "The defendant is a bus driver who has operated the route for three years, and the accident site was a children's protection zone with a right-turn signal installed, where elementary school students frequently pass by. Considering that the defendant knew this and if he had complied with the signal and stopped temporarily at the crosswalk to fulfill his duty of care, the accident could have been prevented, the nature of the crime is not good." After the sentencing, Jo's parents and other bereaved family members wept, saying, "My baby is gone, so what does a six-year sentence mean?" The bereaved family immediately expressed their intention to appeal. Jo's father said, "For all the children who will be born and those currently attending school, I think a stronger prison sentence is necessary. That way, when I meet Eun-gyeol later, I will feel more at ease."

Meanwhile, the pedestrian signal at the crosswalk where the accident occurred was changed from a system where the right-turn stop signal turned green after 2 seconds to a system where the pedestrian signal changes 10 seconds after the right-turn stop signal following the accident.

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