Gwangju City Ignores Consecutive Garbage Truck Accidents

Councilor Jeong Daeun: "Accident Prevention Measures Must Be Established"

Jeong Da-eun, Member of Gwangju Metropolitan Council

Despite a series of tragic accidents involving garbage collection trucks in the Gwangju area, it has been revealed that only 69% of the vehicles are equipped with safety features such as the '360-degree Around View' (hereinafter referred to as Around View).

On the 5th, Jeong Da-eun, a member of the Gwangju City Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Buk-gu 2), pointed out during the 2025 main budget review of the Climate and Environment Bureau, "The next year's main budget includes 830 million KRW for the purchase of 13 garbage collection trucks," adding, "While the new vehicles are equipped with various safety devices, many of the existing vehicles lack accident prevention safety equipment."

In October, an elementary school student was fatally struck by a reversing garbage collection truck at an apartment complex in Buk-gu. In November, a garbage collection truck overturned in Nam-gu, injuring three people with minor injuries.

Currently, the installation rate of vehicle safety devices, specifically the Around View, on garbage collection trucks across the five district offices is 69% (185 vehicles). By district, the rates are ▲Gwangsan-gu 92% (67 vehicles) ▲Seo-gu 86% (43 vehicles) ▲Buk-gu 83% (49 vehicles) ▲Dong-gu 67% (26 vehicles) ▲Nam-gu 0% (0 vehicles).

While Gwangsan-gu has an Around View installation rate exceeding 90%, Nam-gu has none, showing significant disparities in installation levels among local governments.

Councilor Jeong stated, "Accidents involving garbage collection trucks in Gwangju pose a serious threat to citizens' lives and safety," and criticized, "Despite the vast differences in safety device installation levels among local governments, Gwangju City has not reflected any related budget, which is a very serious issue."

She continued, "Installing safety devices is an essential investment for accident prevention," pointing out that "the installation rate for large waste collection vehicles is very low."

Jeong also emphasized, "For the safety of citizens and environmental workers, Gwangju City must no longer ignore the budget for vehicle safety devices."

Meanwhile, the garbage collection trucks scheduled for purchase next year are allocated as follows: ▲Buk-gu 6 vehicles (including 2 guide vehicles) ▲Gwangsan-gu 4 vehicles ▲Seo-gu 3 vehicles.