Outlaw on the road "Kick"...Seoul Designates Korea's First 'Kickboard-Free Street'

Increased cases of 'lawless driving' on electric kickboards...Pedestrian Threat
93.5% of Seoul citizens "immediately towed" 88.1% "designated a prohibited zone"
Seoul immediately tows illegal parking electric kickboard reports

[Anchor]
As the number of electric kickboard users increases, related safety accidents are also increasing.Many pedestrians complain of inconvenience when walking

.

For the first time in the country, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to designate a "kickboard-free street" and strengthen crackdowns on illegal speeding.

Reporter Kim Hyun-ah reports.

[Reporter]
A number of people on one electric kickboard are driving backwards on the road.

It is also common to run on the sidewalk instead of on the road.

Last August, a large group of people on electric kickboards were caught speeding through the crowd,

A video of illegally lifting the speed limit for electric kickboards and electric bicycles is also being distributed.

[Kim Ha-eun/ Graduate student: Not long ago, a man who used to wear a golf club on a kickboard hit me with a golf club. But he left so fast before I even called him..]

[RYU IN SEONG / College student] It's a lot more common in India, and when you come to India, it's much faster than a person's running speed. So I feel that it's very dangerous.

In a survey of Seoul citizens, 79.2% said they experienced inconvenience with electric kickboards, and 75.5% said they experienced a risk of collision.There were also many complaints about driving on the

, neglecting without permission, and speeding, so 93.5% of respondents agreed to strengthen the electric kickboard towing system.

More than 88% of the respondents agreed to designate an electric kickboard curfew.

As a result, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to designate a "kickboard-free street" for the first time in the country within this year and gradually expand it after a pilot operation.

[Jung Yeo-won / Seoul Metropolitan Government Pedestrian Bicycle Director: We are going to designate a road where there is a lot of walking, especially now, and where kickboards are in operation, which can be dangerous for pedestrians]

In addition, it was decided to tow the illegally parked electric kickboard immediately without delay when it was reported.

At the same time, the video that illegally lifts the speed limit on kickboards and electric bicycles has been deleted, and products that have not received domestic safety certification have been requested to be blocked from importing them.

I'm Kim Hyunah of YTN.

Photographer: Lee Soo-yeon
Design: Lee Ga-eun