Kazakh overstayer given suspended term for unlicensed hit-and-run in Busan
In short
A Kazakh national who overstayed in South Korea for about four years was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, for driving without a licence, hitting a taxi in Busan and fleeing. The Busan District Court cited the fact that he drove roughly 212 km from Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do, without a licence or mandatory insurance, injured a taxi driver and left the scene. Prosecutors asked the court to confiscate the car, but the request was rejected because the vehicle belonged to someone else.
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Busan District Court sentenced a Kazakh national to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, over an unlicensed hit-and-run in the city, the court said on Oct. 4. Judge Mok Myeong-gyun of the court's Criminal Division 17 convicted him on charges of hit-and-run causing injury under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, unlicensed driving and violating the Immigration Act. [ 1 , 2 ]
According to Yonhap, the man was driving a Grandeur sedan in Yeonje-gu, Busan, at 8:04 p.m. on Feb. 6 when he moved from the first, left-turn lane into the second, through lane and struck the driver's side of a taxi that was moving into the second lane from the third. The taxi driver suffered a shoulder injury requiring two weeks of treatment, and the taxi sustained damage that cost 1.46 million won to repair, Yonhap reported. He left the scene without taking any measures. [ 1 ]
The court found that he had driven about 212 km without a licence from Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do, to the accident site, and that he was not covered by mandatory insurance. Yonhap described the car as a so-called “daepo” vehicle, owned by someone other than the driver. Both Yonhap and Dong-A Ilbo reported that he entered the country in June 2022 on visa-free status and remained illegally for about four years after his stay expired in July 2022; Dong-A specified that he entered on June 3, 2022, with a 30-day visa-waiver stay. [ 1 , 2 ]
Prosecutors had sought confiscation of the car used in the offence, but the court did not accept the request, judging that the vehicle belonged to another person and therefore did not meet the conditions for confiscation, according to Yonhap. Dong-A Ilbo's summary of the ruling did not mention the confiscation request. [ 1 ]
In explaining the sentence, Judge Mok said the offence was of poor quality because the defendant drove without a licence and without insurance, caused an accident and fled without taking any measures, Yonhap reported. Dong-A Ilbo carried the same remark, though its summary ends partway through the judge's comment. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The case ties an ordinary traffic conviction to immigration status, a combination Korean courts handled here with a suspended sentence rather than prison. It also shows prosecutors seeking confiscation of an unregistered “daepo” car and the court declining because ownership lay elsewhere, a point that limits how far such vehicles can be seized in this kind of case.
Key facts
- Busan District Court Criminal Division 17 sentenced a Kazakh national to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, on charges including hit-and-run causing injury, unlicensed driving and violating the Immigration Act. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The court said he drove without a licence and without mandatory insurance, caused an accident and fled without taking any measures. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He was accused of driving about 212 km without a licence from Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do, to the accident site in Yeonje-gu, Busan. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He entered on visa-free status in June 2022 and stayed illegally for about four years after his permitted stay expired in July 2022. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The accident on the evening of Feb. 6 left the taxi driver with a shoulder injury requiring two weeks of treatment and caused 1.46 million won in damage to the taxi. [ 1 ]
- Prosecutors sought confiscation of the car used in the offence, but the court refused because the vehicle was a so-called “daepo” car owned by another person, Yonhap reported. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A Kazakh national received a prison term of one year and six months, suspended for three years, over an unlicensed hit-and-run in Busan. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He stayed in the country illegally for about four years after his permitted stay expired. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He drove about 212 km without a licence from Chungcheongnam-do to Busan before the accident. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The crash occurred on the evening of Feb. 6, the taxi driver was injured and the driver left the scene without taking any measures. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The court found the circumstances of the offence poor because he drove unlicensed and uninsured and fled after the crash. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether prosecutors will appeal the sentence or the refusal to confiscate the vehicle. Neither document mentions any appeal or further proceedings.
- The identity, age and place of residence of the defendant beyond the initial “A” and Kazakh nationality. Both documents identify the defendant only by a placeholder initial.
- Whether the registered owner of the car faces any separate investigation or penalty. Only Yonhap mentions the vehicle's ownership, and it says nothing about action against the owner.
- The exact wording of the sentencing rationale as carried by Dong-A Ilbo, whose summary is cut off mid-quote. The Dong-A summary ends partway through the judge's comment, so its full version of the remark cannot be compared with Yonhap's.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Kazakh national changes lanes in Yeonje-gu, Busan, strikes a taxi and drives away without taking any measures; the taxi driver is injured and the taxi is damaged. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports that Busan District Court sentenced him to one year and six months, suspended for three years. [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo carries a summary of the same ruling. [ 2 ]