By Lee Hyo-sik

 

Dae-sung, a member of K-pop idol group Big Bang, has been booked without physical detention on charges of running over a motorcyclist and ramming into a taxi in his sedan on a Han River bridge early Tuesday morning, police said Tuesday.

According to the account from the Yeongdeungpo Police Station, the 22-year-old pop star whose real name is Kang Dae-sung was driving his Audi on Yanghwa Bridge around 1:30 a.m. when he ran over a 30-year-old man lying on the road and then crashed into a parked taxi in front of the man.

Police said Dae-sung did not spot the man, surnamed Hyun, while driving at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, well above the speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour, at the time of the accident.

Shortly before the accident, a 64-year-old taxi driver, surnamed Kim, found Hyun lying on the road next to a motorcycle. Kim stopped his vehicle to check on the motorcyclist.

``The taxi driver saw Hyun and stopped the car. But it appears that Dae-sung could not spot the man because he failed to slow down. Dae-sung told us that after seemingly hitting a bump and bouncing, he stepped on the brake but could not stop the car,’’ a police officer said.

The officer said Dae-sung’ account of the accident is consistent with what was recorded by a video recorder installed in the taxi, adding that both Dae-sung and the taxi driver passed a breathalyzer test taken right after the incident.

``We cannot determine exactly when the motorcyclist died. We are now trying to find out whether he was killed after being run over by the singer’s car. Or, he could have already been dead before the accident. This will determine what charges will be filed against Dae-sung,’’ the officer said.
Police sent Dae-sung home around 6:40 a.m. after questioning.

Investigators are now analyzing surveillance cameras installed on the bridge. KoRoad, a state-run traffic science research institute, has been asked to look into the accident and investigate exactly what happened.

Police plan to perform an autopsy on the dead motorcyclist to identify the exact cause of death.
leehs@koreatimes.co.kr