A one-ton truck plowed into a flea market in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday morning, killing a woman in her 40s and her teenage son and injuring five others.
The driver, a man in his 60s, initially told police he had mistaken the accelerator for the brake, then later changed his account and claimed the vehicle had suddenly accelerated on its own, according to authorities.
The fire department, police and Yonhap said the truck, which was carrying secondhand goods, barreled into a crowd at a flea market in front of the Gongdo Library in Gongdo-eup, Anseong, at around 11:18 a.m. Saturday.
A woman in her 40s and a male teenager were rushed to hospital in cardiac arrest and were later pronounced dead. The two were identified as mother and son.
Three others — a woman and a man, both in their 20s, and a man in his 60s — were taken to hospital with injuries including leg fractures. Two more people, including a woman in her 50s who showed signs of respiratory distress, received emergency treatment at the scene.
The event was the "2026 Green Sharing Market," organized by the city of Anseong and hosted by the Anseong Sustainable Development Council.
Closed-circuit television footage from near the scene showed the truck suddenly surging about 25 meters into the park. The vehicle was found to be owned by the city of Anseong.
Police believe the accident occurred as the driver — a contract worker for the city — was pulling over near the park to unload the secondhand goods for the event.
Police arrested him on the spot and, after questioning, applied for an arrest warrant on charges of causing death and injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.
Investigators found no evidence that the driver had consumed alcohol or drugs.
Police plan to send the truck to the National Forensic Service for a detailed technical examination to determine the cause of the accident.
Police and fire authorities are continuing to question the driver, witnesses and others to establish the full circumstances of the crash.
mss@heraldcorp.com
