9-year-old boy was crossing intersection on bicycle

SUV struck him and his mother, who was also injured

A file photo of a bicycle crosswalk. This image is unrelated to the article. [Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province — Geumgok Elementary School]
A file photo of a bicycle crosswalk. This image is unrelated to the article. [Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province — Geumgok Elementary School]

A man in his 60s received a suspended prison sentence after running a red light and striking an elementary school student, killing the child.

Judge Chu Jin-seok of the Seoul Eastern District Court's Criminal Division 5 sentenced Kim, 69, to one year of imprisonment without labor, suspended for three years, on charges including violation of the Special Act on the Processing of Traffic Accidents resulting in death, according to legal sources Tuesday.

The court said the accident had caused "an irreversible outcome — the victim's death — through gross negligence," but added that it considered Kim's remorse, the fact that his vehicle was insured, a settlement reached with the bereaved family who did not seek a harsh sentence, and his lack of any prior criminal record.

Kim struck a 9-year-old boy and the boy's mother with his vehicle at a crosswalk in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, at around 8:50 p.m. on July 5. The crosswalk was a designated bicycle crossing where cyclists are permitted to ride across, and the pedestrian signal was green at the time.

The child was rushed to a hospital but died from his injuries. His mother was also hurt in the collision.

The boy, then a fourth-grader, had been riding his bicycle with his mother to a nearby supermarket to buy something he wanted to eat when the accident occurred.

In a broadcast interview in July, the bereaved family said Kim's SUV had stopped just before the crosswalk, then suddenly accelerated when the light turned green, running over the boy before striking the mother and coming to a stop.

Kim was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time. He reportedly told police during questioning that he had been "possessed by a ghost."

Prosecutors had sought a three-year sentence at a hearing on Sept. 8.

At the hearing, Kim bowed deeply toward the bereaved family and said, "I sincerely bow my head in apology for the pain I have caused through my wrongdoing. I will live the rest of my life in repentance."

Under the Road Traffic Act, bicycles are classified as vehicles, meaning cyclists who ride across a standard pedestrian crosswalk may not be protected as pedestrians. To be recognized as a pedestrian at a crosswalk, a cyclist must dismount and walk the bicycle across. However, at a designated bicycle crossing — marked by a bicycle symbol or dotted lines beside a crosswalk — cyclists may cross while riding.


jshan@heraldcorp.com