A man in his 40s was sentenced to prison for causing a traffic accident involving nearby vehicles by suddenly changing lanes, a method commonly known as 'kalchigi'.
The Gwangju District Court Criminal Division 8 (Presiding Judge Kim Yong-shin) sentenced Mr. A (40), who was tried on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (hit-and-run causing injury), to eight months in prison and ordered his immediate detention.
Mr. A is accused of suddenly changing lanes on a two-lane one-way road in Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do, at around 8:15 a.m. on January 30 last year, attempting to overtake the vehicle ahead, causing an accident with a following vehicle, and fleeing the scene.
At the time, the victim's vehicle, which was driving at a constant speed in the second lane of the road, swerved to avoid a collision when Mr. A's vehicle suddenly entered the first lane, hitting the guardrail. As a result of the accident, the driver and passenger of the victim's vehicle sustained injuries requiring two weeks of medical treatment.
During the trial, Mr. A's side argued that "the other vehicle did not realize the accident occurred, so it was not a hit-and-run, and the cause of the accident was the other driver's lack of driving skill," but the court did not accept this. The court stated, "Although the injuries to the occupants of the victim vehicle are minor, the defendant shows no remorse and has not compensated for the damages to date, making a prison sentence unavoidable."
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