The taxi driver misheard the destination, and the female passenger, thinking it was a kidnapping, jumped to her death

‘Pohang University Student Incident’ Sent to Prosecution After 5 Months of Investigation

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The tragic "Pohang University Student Incident," in which a woman misunderstood that she was being kidnapped due to miscommunication with a taxi driver about her destination and jumped out of the taxi, has been transferred to the prosecution after more than five months of investigation.

At the time, the female university student jumped out of the moving taxi when it headed in a different direction than her intended destination and was struck by a vehicle following behind, resulting in her death.

On the 17th, the Pohang Northern Police Station in Gyeongbuk announced that taxi driver Mr. A and the driver of the following vehicle, Mr. B, were sent to the prosecution on charges of violating the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling (causing death).

According to the police, around 8:40 p.m. on March 4th near KTX Pohang Station in Heunghae-eup, Pohang City, a woman in her 20s who took a taxi requested to be taken to the dormitory of the university she attends.

However, the taxi driver misunderstood and headed toward a different university, causing the woman to become anxious and attempt to escape by jumping out of the taxi. The situation was recorded in real-time messenger messages sent to her boyfriend.

The woman was hit by an SUV vehicle following the taxi and was transported to the hospital but died.

Black box audio recordings secured by the police revealed that the taxi driver misunderstood the female passenger’s destination and asked again, and the woman misheard and responded with the destination the driver repeated.

It was also confirmed that the deceased woman quietly said "Please let me get off" to the driver once.

Since the incident occurred due to a miscommunication between the passenger and the taxi driver, the police faced difficulties in transferring the case.

After discussions by an investigative review committee composed of external members and legal reviews by the National Police Agency headquarters, the police ultimately decided to transfer the case.

Considering factors such as exceeding the speed limit of 80 km/h on the road where the incident occurred, both taxi driver Mr. A and driver Mr. B, who hit the woman while following, were sent to the prosecution.