Busan ranks fourth in Korea in hit-and-run accidents

Over the past five years, South Korea has witnessed a staggering 19,000 hit-and-run traffic accidents, translating to an average of 327 incidents monthly or more than 10 cases daily.

Data obtained by Representative Min Hong-cheol of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Committee from the National Police Agency reveals that during this period (2018-2022), licenses were revoked in 19,676 hit-and-run accident cases.

The breakdown by year indicates 4,262 cases in 2018, 3,660 in 2019, 4,149 in 2020, 3,807 in 2021, and 3,801 in 2022.

Gyeonggi led with 5,163 cases, followed by Seoul with 2,891, Incheon with 1,177, and Busan ranking fourth with 1,034 cases.

Moreover, during this five-year period, there were 43,327 cases of license suspension or revocation due to reckless or retaliatory driving, averaging 722 per month or more than 20 cases daily.

However, it’s important to note that the majority of these cases resulted in license suspensions rather than cancellations. Busan recorded 2,087 cases, Gyeongnam had 1,325 cases, and Ulsan reported 1,008 cases.

Representative Min Hong-cheol emphasized the need for decisive action against such morally reprehensible crimes, including hit-and-run, reckless driving, and retaliatory driving, as thousands of these incidents continue to occur annually.