Jeonbuk Jeonju School Zone Toddler... 'Regrettable' Death, First Case under 'Minsik Law'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters reporters Geonju Lee and Myungjin Park] Since the passage of the ‘Minsik-i Act,’ which imposes aggravated punishment for fatal accidents in school zones, a child death accident occurred in a school zone in Jeonju, Jeonbuk, marking the first case of applying the related law.

According to the Deokjin Police Station in Jeonju on the 22nd, at around 12:15 PM the previous day, A (2 years old), who was standing by the roadside in a school zone in Banwol-dong, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, was hit by a Santa Fe vehicle driven by B (53) and was transported to the hospital but died.

The accident occurred when B made an illegal U-turn. At the time, A was standing on the shoulder in front of a bus stop when the accident happened. It is also known that A’s mother was near the accident site, which adds to the sorrow.

According to the police investigation, driver B was confirmed not to have consumed alcohol and was urgently arrested on charges of violating the law on aggravated punishment in school zones and is currently under investigation.

Due to the seriousness of this being the first case since the enactment of the Minsik-i Act, the police plan to apply for an arrest warrant for B while investigating the circumstances of the accident.

Meanwhile, the Minsik-i Act, which was enforced on March 25, imposes aggravated punishment on perpetrators who cause death or injury due to negligence of safe driving obligations within child protection zones, allowing for imprisonment of three years or more, or life imprisonment in cases of child death accidents.