School Zone Automobile Accidents in Republic of Korea: Comparative Law Analysis on Criminal Responsibility of the Driver

Abstract

In 2019, a child died by a school zone traffic accident in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, the Republic of Korea. Just after the accident, under the name of the “Minsik Law”, the Road Traffic Act and the Sp ecific Crime Aggravated Punishment Act were partially revised and went into effect in Korea on March 25, 2020. The new Korean law providing for harsh penalties is designed to reduce automobile accidents in school zones. However, the penalties under the new law seems to be unconstitutionally and unduly harsh. Under the new law, a negligent driver who kills a child at a school zone could be sentenced to indefinite imprisonment, or imprisonment for 3 years or more. The criminal responsibility of a negligent driver at a school zone is the same as serious intentional felonies such as rape, robbery, abandonment resulting in death. Also, even in the case of a school zone accident, if an accident driver complies with the speed limit and other traffic laws and it is impossible to avoid the accident, the driver should not be punished. So, in order to meet the principle of proportionality, the new Korean law should be revised again. In order to find out the appropriate level and punishment method for drivers who cause accidents in school zones, this thesis will compare and analyze the laws of Korea with those of the United States, Germany, and Japan. This paper also reviews the decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea in February 2023 that the “Minsik Law” was constitutional. Based on these analyses, this thesis seeks the direction and amendments to properly revise Korean law. In addition, this thesis is intended to present exemplary measures to improve the school zone safety.