Rushed Forward After Arriving at Cheonjin Port on Udo Island
Sped 150 Meters
On November 24, an accident occurred on Udo Island in Jeju when a van driven by a tourist in his 60s sped toward the ferry terminal waiting area, resulting in the deaths of three tourists and leaving ten others seriously or critically injured.
According to the Jeju Eastern Police Station and the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters, at around 2:47 p.m. that day, a 62-year-old man, referred to as A, was driving a rented van at high speed for approximately 150 meters at Cheonjin Port, Udo-myeon, Jeju City, before crashing into a large roadside signpost next to the ferry terminal waiting area.
As a result of this accident, three people suffered severe injuries and went into cardiac arrest: a woman in her 60s who was inside the van, a man in his 70s who was walking on the road, and a man in his 60s who was also walking. All three were transported to the hospital by fire and doctor helicopters but ultimately passed away.
A and ten others also sustained serious or moderate injuries and were transported to the hospital by emergency responders.
All the victims were domestic tourists. It was found that there were a total of six people, including the driver, in the van at the time of the accident.
According to witnesses, after arriving at Cheonjin Port, the van exited the ferry line, made a left turn, and then accelerated rapidly, striking pedestrians on the road before finally coming to a stop after crashing into the signpost beside the waiting area.
Police investigations confirmed that A was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
The police plan to question A within the day and are currently investigating the detailed cause of the accident by collecting witness statements and reviewing footage from the scene’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
The Jeju branch of the National Forensic Service will enter Udo Island on the morning of November 25 to conduct a vehicle inspection, investigating whether sudden unintended acceleration occurred and assessing the driver’s actions at the time.
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