A driver in his 70s who went on trial on charges of causing 12 casualties in a car crash that plowed into Kkaebi Market in Mok-dong, Yangcheon District, Seoul, received a suspended prison sentence in the first trial.
On Apr. 23, Judge Seo Ji-won of the Seoul Southern District Court, Criminal Division 5 Single-Judge, sentenced a person surnamed Kim (76), indicted on charges of death and injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, to two years in prison, suspended for three years.
The court said, "The defendant, while overtaking a bus, drove far over the speed limit and caused a crash in which the vehicle rushed into the market," adding, "As a result of this crash, one person died and 11 were injured, a grave outcome." It added, "The suffering of the victims and bereaved families is hard to fathom."
However, the court explained the sentencing reasons by noting, "The defendant has pledged to prevent reoffending, the bereaved families and victims do not want punishment, and the defendant is elderly and in poor health due to dementia, among other factors considered comprehensively."
At about 4:18 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2024, Kim was driving a passenger car at Kkaebi Market in Mok-dong when the vehicle sped into a fruit shop inside the market. The vehicle speed was found to be 76.5 kph at the time. In the crash, a man in his 40s who worked at the fruit shop died, and 11 people suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious.
A detailed examination conducted right after the crash confirmed that Kim had been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's. Kim later entered a care facility and was investigated without being detained.