Driver Indicted and Detained After Truck Plows Through Jeil Market in Bucheon, Causing 22 Casualties

Charged with Fatal Violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents

A man in his 60s who caused 22 casualties in a truck crash at Jeil Market in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, has been brought to trial.

On December 9, the Criminal Division 1 of the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office (headed by Yeo Kyungjin) announced that it had indicted Mr. A (67) on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents (resulting in death). Given that Mr. A's detention period was set to expire in 10 days, prosecutors initially indicted him only for the deaths of three victims, which had been referred by the police.

Mr. A is accused of driving a 1-ton truck at around 10:54 a.m. on November 13 in Jeil Market, Wonjong-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, and hitting and killing four people-including one man in his 20s, two women in their 60s to 70s, and one woman in her 80s-and injuring 18 others.

At around 10:55 a.m. on November 13, a truck driving through Jeil Market in Wonjong-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, crashed into the front of a store. Clothes and other items are scattered in front of the store where the truck was removed. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Just before the accident, his truck reversed 1 to 2 meters and then sped forward for 132 meters, striking victims and market stalls in succession.

Mr. A had shifted the vehicle into reverse and exited the truck, but when the truck began to move, he panicked and hurriedly got back in. In the process, he stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake and mistakenly shifted the gear into drive, causing the truck to surge forward.

Prosecutors determined that the accident was caused by Mr. A's negligence after analyzing CCTV footage from the scene and data from the vehicle's pedal black box. At the time, the truck was traveling through the market at a speed of 35 to 41 kilometers per hour, hitting vendors, pedestrians, and market stalls.

Police later secured footage from the pedal black box inside the vehicle. It was found that Mr. A had personally purchased the pedal black box in anticipation of a possible traffic accident. The footage from inside the truck recorded him pressing the accelerator instead of the brake.

The accident resulted in a total of four deaths and 18 injuries. However, considering Mr. A's detention period, prosecutors have indicted him first for the deaths of three victims, with cases not yet referred to be handled at a later date.

During the police investigation, Mr. A claimed, "I suffer from Moyamoya disease, a cerebrovascular disorder, but it does not affect my ability to drive," denying any connection between his illness and the accident.