Drunk man lying in Seoul alley hit and killed by taxi

A man in his 40s was struck and killed by a taxi in a narrow alley in Seoul's Gangnam district after lying down on the road while intoxicated and browsing his phone.

According to TV Chosun, the incident occurred at around 4:41 a.m. Saturday in an alley in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The alley runs through a commercial district and is typically shared by vehicles and pedestrians.

Dashcam footage showed the man, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, being struck by a passing vehicle and then lying down on the road to look at his phone. A taxi that entered the alley shortly afterward failed to spot him and drove into him.

The driver of the first vehicle said the man had approached and struck the side mirror with his elbow before falling over. The taxi driver said he had not seen anyone lying on the road.

A witness said the man had been staggering drunk before lying down in the alley. "Someone told him it was dangerous and to get up, but he wouldn't," the witness said. "Then the taxi hit him."

Neither driver was found to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident.

Police have booked the taxi driver on charges of causing death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents and are investigating the circumstances of the incident.