Treated as a Major Criminal in Traffic Accident, but Ultimately Cleared of All Charges

Nonsan Police Clear Man in His 40s of Charges Including Special Threat and Injury
Mr. A Says "Police Should Be Disciplined for Baseless Accusations"

The police, who were suspected of conducting a high-pressure and coercive investigation by booking a simple traffic accident as a traffic crime, have reportedly cleared a man in his 40s of all charges.

According to coverage by Asia Economy on the 28th, the Nonsan Police Station in South Chungcheong Province cleared Mr. A (in his 40s), who had been booked for traffic crimes such as special intimidation and special injury, of all charges the previous day.

On June 19 at around 9:40 p.m., Mr. A was involved in an accident on a two-lane road in Ganggyeong, Nonsan City, South Chungcheong Province, when a vehicle from behind crossed the center line to overtake and struck the front bumper of Mr. A's car.

However, the police booked Mr. A as a traffic crime suspect and reportedly told him to cancel his insurance claim because it was a traffic crime. They also told the insurance company employee who arrived at the scene to put the claim on hold.

As a result, Mr. A suffered extreme stress and psychological shock to the extent that he could not carry out his daily life, as he was treated as a serious criminal such as an insurance fraudster.

He also hired a lawyer, claiming his innocence regarding the accident.

In a phone interview with a reporter, Mr. A said, "The police checked the EDR system of my vehicle and knew there was no problem, but for an accurate judgment, they requested an investigation by the National Forensic Service and cleared me of all charges after two months."

He continued, "Because of this accident, I suffered from such extreme stress for two months that I couldn't do anything."

He added, "The officer in charge treated me as a serious criminal from the beginning, and then told me to handle the insurance claim myself without a single word of apology. The police should be disciplined for treating innocent people as serious criminals and acting as if it's no big deal, so that this never happens again."

A police official stated, "We will ensure the officer in charge takes appropriate action, such as apologizing to Mr. A," and added, "As the team leader, I apologize on their behalf."