Court lenient on bus driver who killed 2 soldiers on e-scooters

The driver of a bus who killed two young soldiers riding an electric scooter in Gwangju last year was shown leniency by the court with a fine of 12 million won, citing the victims' culpability and their families' wishes to bring the ordeal to an end.

Electric scooters are parked in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 13 in this photo unrelated to the story. [NEWS1]

The driver of a bus who killed two young soldiers riding an electric scooter in Gwangju last year was shown leniency by the court with a fine of 12 million won ($8,780).

The Gwangju District Court said Monday it handed down the penalty to the driver, surnamed Kang, 69, who faced charges of causing death by negligent driving under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

“Two young people lost their lives because of this accident, and the consequences of Kang’s actions are extremely serious,” the court said.

“Kang also exceeded the speed limit while driving through an intersection, which cannot be considered a minor fault.”

However, the court noted that the victims were partly to blame.

“The victims were riding an electric scooter while under the influence and entered the intersection without checking for oncoming vehicles,” it said.

“A parked car nearby also obstructed the view of both the driver and the victims, which together contributed to the accident.”

The judge added that Kang had apologized to the families and reached a settlement, with the victims’ families expressing they did not wish for further punishment.

The crash occurred around 5:35 a.m. on July 20, 2024, when Kang was driving a commuter bus through an uncontrolled intersection in Bongseon-dong, Nam District, Gwangju.

Kang struck a scooter carrying Choi, a 20-year-old soldier, and another soldier, killing both.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]