College Freshman Earning Pocket Money Before Semester Starts Dies in Unlicensed Driving at Age 13

Photo by MBC, related news screen capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] A freshman who started a delivery part-time job to earn pocket money after the university semester was postponed was hit and killed by a stolen vehicle driven by a 13-year-old.

The Daejeon Eastern Police Station announced that on the 31st of last month, they arrested and are investigating eight individuals, including a 13-year-old boy identified as A, on charges of driving a stolen vehicle without a license, causing a fatal accident, and fleeing the scene (violation of the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and hit-and-run resulting in death, etc.).

According to the police, on the 29th at around 12:30 a.m., A and others drove a stolen rental car from Seoul to Daejeon and collided with B (18), who was riding a motorcycle at the Seongnam Intersection in Dong-gu, Daejeon.

A and the others evaded a police patrol car’s pursuit and sped through the city, then collided with B’s motorcycle, which was lawfully proceeding through the intersection with a green light. After causing the accident, A did not stop the vehicle but fled about 200 meters, abandoning the car near the Samsung Intersection apartments in Dong-gu before running away.

The stolen vehicle driven by A and others had already been reported stolen in Seoul and was wanted nationwide by the police. The police confirmed the vehicle’s entry into Daejeon through the Wanted Automobile Search System (WASS) and security CCTV footage.

The police apprehended six individuals who fled the scene near the apartment complex, but A and another person escaped to Seoul. With cooperation from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the Daejeon Eastern Police Station arrested A and others in Guro-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 29th and transferred them to Daejeon.

The victim, B, was a freshman who had recently enrolled in a university in the Daejeon area this year and had taken up motorcycle delivery work to earn pocket money due to the delayed semester start.

The police determined that some of those involved, including A, were under 14 years old (juvenile offenders exempt from criminal punishment), making criminal prosecution difficult. They obtained an emergency accompaniment warrant for A, who was driving the car, and handed him over to a juvenile protection agency.

The police plan to conduct further investigations on the remaining seven individuals and then send the case to the family court’s juvenile division.