60s Truck Driver Arrested for Bucheon Traditional Market Crash That Left 21 Dead or Injured

Court Cites "Risk of Flight"

A truck driver in his 60s, who is suspected of causing a crash at a traditional market in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province that resulted in two deaths and 19 injuries, has been taken into police custody.

A man in his 60s who caused a crash in a traditional market, resulting in 2 deaths and 19 injuries, is entering the Incheon District Court on the afternoon of the 15th for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). Photo by Yonhap News

The Ojeong Police Station in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, announced on the 15th that it had detained Mr. A (67) on charges of causing death and injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

On the afternoon of the same day, Judge Lee Gihong, the duty judge at the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Court, conducted a pretrial detention hearing for Mr. A and issued a warrant, stating, "Given the seriousness of the alleged crime, there is a risk of flight."

During the hearing, Mr. A reportedly claimed, "I was undergoing medication for a brain condition, but I have recently been too busy with work at my store to continue treatment."

Mr. A is accused of causing a crash at Jeil Market in Wonjong-dong, Ojeong District, Bucheon, at around 10:54 a.m. on the 13th, driving a 1-ton truck into the market, resulting in the deaths of two women in their 60s and 70s and injuring 19 men and women ranging from their 10s to 70s.

According to the investigation, Mr. A's truck reversed 1 to 2 meters just before the accident, then sped forward for 132 meters, striking victims and market stalls in succession. The truck’s "pedal black box," which records the pedals and brakes, showed Mr. A pressing the accelerator instead of the brake at the time of the accident.

Of the 21 casualties from the incident, only two were market vendors, while the remaining 19 were customers. Most of the injured were in their 50s to 70s.

Before the detention hearing, Mr. A responded to reporters’ question, "Do you admit to pressing the accelerator instead of the brake?" by saying, "My moyamoya disease (a cerebrovascular disorder) is very severe."