What happened:

A high school student was riding an electric scooter across a crosswalk in Cheongju.

The scooter hit a 3 cm road bump caused by damaged pavement.

The student fell and suffered a bone fracture.


The lawsuit:

The student sued Cheongju City, claiming the accident was caused by a road defect.

He sought about 25 million KRW in damages.


City’s argument:

The city argued it had no duty to anticipate e-scooters crossing at pedestrian crosswalks.

Under traffic rules, riders are supposed to get off and walk the scooter at crosswalks.


Court’s key reasoning:

In reality, many people ride e-scooters across crosswalks, even if rules say otherwise.

Given this reality, the city still has a duty to manage road safety.

Regular inspections could have prevented the accident.


Fault allocation:

The court acknowledged limits to how perfectly roads can be maintained.

It also considered that the student was riding, not walking, the scooter.

As a result, the city’s liability was limited to 30%.


Final ruling:

Cheongju City must pay about 4.7 million KRW in compensation.

The student bears the remaining responsibility for the accident.


Why this matters:

Even when users violate traffic rules, local governments can still be partially liable for dangerous road conditions.

Courts may look beyond strict legality and focus on real-world behavior.

The ruling highlights growing legal pressure on cities as e-scooter use becomes common.


In short, the court drew a careful line: riding the scooter wasn’t proper, but leaving a dangerous bump in a crosswalk wasn’t acceptable either. 🚦

Article: https://m.yonhapnewstv.co.kr/news/AKR202512191539450w2