Over 400 people died in South Korea involving unlicensed drivers in the last 4 years.

Today, I read a shocking statistic about driving in South Korea. I never drove here because I don’t have a car, as it is not necessary with the excellent public transportation system. However, when I take a bus, take a taxi or if I pay attention to drivers, I’ve noticed that many drivers don’t drive well. Taxi drivers who don’t hold the steering wheel correctly, many people using the phone while driving, riders without helmets and so on.

However, what shocked me was what I wrote in the article headline (yes I hate clickbait, I go to the point), a lot of Korean drivers drive without a license and cause a lot of accidents, causing 400 deaths in 4 years, around 100 deaths per year. Also, it seems that the number of caught unlicensed drivers keeps growing, reaching more than 8 thousand in 2024.

Anyway, the article reveals one of the reasons for this situation. The mention of a fine for getting caught without a valid licence is 3 million won (more or less 2000 euros). For me, this is ridiculous, absurdly low. In Spain, the fines for this can be up to 6000 euros, and depending on the situation you can go to Jail.

I wonder when it will be enough to change this, because it’s ridiculous to lose your life like this. If you drive here, you should be more careful and expect anything from other drivers (really anything). And if you find a roundabout, you should be extra careful, like many Korean drivers, and always use a seat belt if you ride a bus or driver. And obviously, if you ride a bike, you should use a helmet, consider this an investment. Stay safe out there.

Source. The Korea Herald