Police officer killed while clearing highway accident

A vehicle is seen heavily damaged after a series of traffic accidents on the westbound Seohaean Expressway near the Gochang interchange in Gochang, North Jeolla Province, Sunday. (North Jeolla Provincial Fire Service)

A Korean police officer was killed after being struck by an SUV while responding to a traffic accident on a major highway, prompting police employee representatives to call for stronger protections for officers working at crash scenes.

The incident occurred at about 1:23 a.m. Sunday on the Seohaean Expressway near the Gochang junction, where police were handling a collision between two passenger cars that had left drivers with minor injuries.

While officers, firefighters and a tow truck were clearing the scene, an SUV crashed into the area, triggering a secondary accident.

The officer, a 55-year-old inspector with the North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency’s highway patrol unit, was killed at the scene.

The SUV driver later told investigators he had been drowsy at the wheel and showed no signs of alcohol consumption.

A tow truck driver in his 30s assisting with accident recovery also died.

Nine people were injured, including two emergency medical technicians, the SUV driver and his family members in the vehicle.

Police said patrol cars, ambulances and tow trucks were operating with warning lights on at the time.

The Korean National Police Workers Council, a body representing police employees, urged the government and the National Police Agency to immediately strengthen safety measures for officers responding to accidents.

"Authorities must reinforce physical protections for police at accident sites and deploy modern safety equipment without delay," the group said in a statement, calling for a review of staffing systems to ensure sufficient backup.