'Gangnam Station 8-Car Pileup' Unlicensed Driver Tests Positive for Sedatives

"Reported Taking Medication Due to Insomnia Symptoms"

A man in his 20s, identified as A, who was arrested for causing an 8-car pileup near Gangnam Station in Seoul while driving without a license, was found to have tranquilizer components in his system.

On the 4th, a woman in her 20s who drove without a license and then drove in the wrong direction after an accident in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, is entering the Seoul Central District Court to undergo a pre-trial detention hearing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 9th, the Seoul Gangnam Police announced that the National Forensic Service's analysis of A, who was detained and sent to prosecution on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (hit-and-run causing injury) and the Road Traffic Act (causing injury), detected tranquilizer components found in psychiatric medication. During police questioning, A reportedly stated that "he took tranquilizers due to insomnia symptoms." It was also reported that he had taken tranquilizers on the day of the accident.

A recording of a phone call between A and his mother at the time of the accident was also released through JTBC. When his mother said, "Don't touch anything and turn off the engine," A replied, "I don't know how to turn off the engine. How do I do that? I hit someone, what should I do?" As the collisions continued, A screamed, "Mom, I hit 10 cars!"

A was arrested on the afternoon of the 2nd around 1:40 p.m. at the intersection near the entrance of Kukkiwon in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, on Teheran-ro heading toward Exit 12 of Gangnam Station, for driving without a license and causing an 8-car pileup. It was confirmed that he had only attended a driving school but had never obtained a license. Nine people sustained minor injuries in the accident, and a total of eight vehicles, including A's car and motorcycles, were damaged.

On the 2nd, an 8-vehicle pileup occurred near Gangnam Station in Seoul. [Image source=Online Community]

A video capturing the scene of the accident was also posted on an online community. The footage shows A continuing to drive, including driving in reverse, immediately after the road became chaotic, without getting out of the car.

It was also confirmed that about 40 minutes before the 8-car pileup, around 1 p.m., A hit and fled from a woman in her 30s pushing a stroller with her 4-year-old son on a side street in Geoyeo-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Investigation revealed that although his mother tried to dissuade him by saying, "Take a taxi," A drove from his mother's house in Geoyeo-dong, Songpa-gu, to his own home in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu.