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Unlicensed driver arrested for hit-and-run accidents that killed pedestrian

Published: 08 Dec. 2025, 21:48

A logo of police [YONHAP]

Police in South Gyeongsang arrested a man who was driving without a license and fled after hitting another vehicle and an elderly pedestrian in her 80s, who later died of her injuries.

According to the Sacheon Police Precinct, the man was taken into custody on charges of causing death or injury while fleeing under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, as well as driving without a license and failing to take necessary action after an accident under the Road Traffic Act.

Police said the man was driving a Chevrolet Aveo without a license at around 6:35 a.m. on Monday when he collided with a Hyundai Avante at an intersection near Samcheonpo Jungang Market in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang. He then fled, hit an elderly pedestrian in a crosswalk and continued driving.

The Avante driver suffered minor injuries. The pedestrian, who was in her 80s, was seriously injured and taken to a hospital, but died.

After the collision, the man abandoned his vehicle in a sparsely populated area near Samcheonpo Port. Following a review of closed-circuit television footage, police located and arrested him at around 8:30 a.m. at his workplace, where he also resides.

Police said they checked whether he had been driving under the influence because he smelled of alcohol, but no measurable level was detected, so drunk driving charges were not applied. The man had his license revoked previously for drunk driving and is believed to have consumed alcohol the night before.

He told police that he “caused the accident while driving to a bathhouse and fled because he was afraid his unlicensed driving would be discovered,” according to investigators.

Police are examining the full circumstances of the crime and any additional offenses and plan to seek a detention warrant soon.

BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]