Grumpy driver fined after reporting child for reckless scootering

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Grumpy driver fined after reporting child for reckless scootering

An electric scooter is pictured on a street in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 15. [YONHAP]

An electric scooter is pictured on a street in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 15. [YONHAP]

 
A man in his 50s was fined 8 million won ($5,901) for forcibly taking an elementary school student to a police station, claiming the student had recklessly ridden an electric scooter.
 
The Gwangju District Court on Thursday found the man guilty of violating the Child Welfare Act, rejecting his defense that he simply meant to “teach the child a lesson.” 
 

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“The defendant’s intent to forcibly place the victim in the vehicle is acknowledged,” the court said.
 
The incident occurred in July 2024, when the student crossed a road in Seo District, Gwangju. According to prosecutors, the student had crossed a road on a scooter without using a crosswalk. After honking at the child, the man allegedly saw the student flash a light toward his vehicle. The man then reversed, stopped and told the student, “There was almost a traffic accident,” before placing the child in his vehicle and driving him to a nearby police station.
 
The student’s guardians later filed a formal complaint, leading to the man’s indictment on child abuse charges. 
 
During the trial, the man maintained he had not used force and only sought to correct the child’s behavior. But the court sided with prosecutors, citing the coercive nature of his actions. 


Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]
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