Uzbek Student Arrested After Fleeing Fatal Crash Involving Elderly Cyclist

An Uzbek student has been arrested after allegedly hitting and killing an elderly cyclist on a road in Iksan before fleeing without taking steps to help him.

The Iksan Police Station in North Jeolla Province said it urgently arrested the student on suspicion of death by hit-and-run under South Korea’s Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The crash occurred at about 1:42 a.m. in Wanggung-myeon, Iksan.

Investigators believe the student struck the cyclist from behind as the man traveled in the first lane. The victim, who was in his 80s, died in the collision.

When police arrested the student after receiving a report, he reportedly said, in substance, that he did not know he had caused an accident. Police identified him as an international student enrolled at a school in the province. They said he did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash.

Authorities are investigating the precise circumstances of the collision.

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I did not know I had caused an accident.