Man in 50s Arrested for Reckless Driving at 157 km/h on National Highway, Claiming He Was Rushing to See Sick Daughter

A driver in his 50s has been caught by police for speeding up to 157 km/h on a national highway with a speed limit of 80 km/h and violating traffic laws dozens of times during the Chuseok holiday.

The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency announced on September 25 that it has apprehended and is investigating a man in his 50s, identified as A, on charges of reckless driving under the Road Traffic Act.

A is accused of driving his Grandeur sedan recklessly—including speeding and sudden lane changes—at around 3:00 PM the previous day (September 24) on National Route 44 in Jueumchi-ri, Hwachon-myeon, Hongcheon-gun.

Police pursued and apprehended A at the scene after spotting him repeatedly committing lane change violations and so-called "tailgating and weaving" maneuvers.

According to the investigation, A violated traffic laws a total of 22 times over a span of about 10 minutes.

In particular, he drove closely behind preceding vehicles without securing a safe following distance and repeatedly changed lanes without using turn signals.

He also drove up to 157 km/h on a road with a speed limit of 80 km/h, and was confirmed to have driven at speeds exceeding 140 km/h on 31 occasions.

A reportedly stated to the police, "I ended up violating traffic laws because my daughter in Wonju was sick."

Police plan to intensively crack down on major traffic law violations, such as speeding and reckless driving, which elevate the risk of traffic accidents during the Chuseok holiday.

(Photo provided by Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.