[Breaking News] Car crashes into Mokdong Kkaebi Market… Ends in Death

▲ [Korean Today] On the afternoon of the 31st, officials are working to recover the damage at the scene of an accident where a black Equus passenger car crashed into Mokdong Goblin Market in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, injuring 13 people. Photo: JoongAng Ilbo © Reporter Byun A-rong

A person was killed in a car crash at a traditional market in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Several others were injured.

Yangcheon Fire Station and Yangcheon Police Station announced that at approximately 3:57 PM on the 31st, an accident occurred in which a large sedan crashed into Mokdong Goblin Market in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.

It was determined that the vehicle that crashed was being driven by Mr. A (74), a man with a Class 1 regular driver’s license. At around 3:35 PM that day, Mr. A’s vehicle accelerated to overtake a bus and crashed into Mokdong Kkaebi Market.

The fire department received a report that “a vehicle hit a person at the Gwaebi Market” and immediately went to the scene. The fire department arrived at the scene at around 3:59 p.m. and deployed 68 personnel to provide emergency treatment. After receiving the report, about 60 police officers also went to the scene to secure an ambulance and other routes and provide relief to the victims. The injured were transferred to Ewha Mokdong Hospital and Korea University Guro Hospital, respectively.

The scene of the accident was a mess. The market floor was littered with fruit and packaging boxes, as the vehicle passed over a fruit shop. Mr. Jeong (61), the owner of a grocery store in the market, explained, “I heard what sounded like a cannon and looked outside to see a black car coming in from far away,” and “I went outside and saw people lying injured.” Mr. Kim (50), who works at a rice cake shop, said, “I heard a loud noise for the first time in my life and when I went outside, I saw dust blowing up like a gust of wind,” and “I was so shocked and scared that the merchants I usually knew were hurt.”

Mr. Hwang (54), who runs a shoe store, said, “I was coming out after washing the mop when I heard a loud bang. If I had been a little later, I would have been hit,” and “Many people were hurt, so I and an old woman went around shouting, ‘Wake up!’ to wake them up.” He explained about the driver, “When I told him to turn off the engine, he asked me, ‘What’s wrong?’ and grabbed his hat from the passenger seat and got out.”

As many people gather at the Kkaebi Market, complaints have also been raised that the merchants’ association’s suggestions to the local government and police for a ‘car-free street’ have not been accepted. Kim (47), the owner of a kimchi store, said, “Even on weekdays, there have been many suggestions to designate the street as a car-free street because so many people gather there,” and “Even on normal days, there have been frequent collision accidents where cars hit people passing by with their side mirrors.”

It was confirmed that 4 people were seriously injured and 9 people were slightly injured in this accident, resulting in a total of 13 injuries. Among the seriously injured, a man in his 40s who ran a fruit shop lost his life at around 9:46 PM that day.

Person A was reported not to have been drunk or under the influence of drugs. Person A stated that there was an operational error and that he did not claim a rash.

The police said that Mr. A stated, “I was worried that the battery would die because I had left the car in the parking lot for a long time, so I took it out for the first time in a while,” and “I stepped on the brakes in front of a market stall, but I don’t remember very well.”

The police have booked Mr. A for murder under the Special Act on the Handling of Traffic Accidents. The investigation will be conducted without detention, and the circumstances surrounding the accident, including the speed of the vehicle, will be investigated based on the secured closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

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