Dangerous Stunt Driving Downtown... Speeding Group Caught Thanks to TikTok

Biker Gangs Flaunt Police Chases on Social Media
Leave Self-Incriminating Evidence Online
Police Pursue Illegal Modifiers to Ensure Accountability

Just ahead of Liberation Day, a group involved in a reckless speeding incident in the heart of downtown Seoul was apprehended by the police. Despite their dangerous stunt driving and successfully evading police vehicles, the offenders were quickly identified. One of the key pieces of evidence was a video the group themselves posted on TikTok. Their attempt to flaunt their reckless driving while evading police on social networking services (SNS) ended up serving as self-incrimination.

For these groups, being chased by the police is seen as "content." They record themselves fleeing from authorities, upload it to SNS, and boast about the views and reactions they garner. The police are well aware of this. Rather than engage in risky pursuits, officers now reach for camcorders. They focus on meticulous evidence-gathering instead of dangerous pursuits, capturing details such as the motorcycle's color, muffler shape, stickers, or customizations. Police view each vehicle's distinctive features as a "kind of fingerprint."

ChatGPT Generated Image.

On August 15, the Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul announced that it has launched a preliminary investigation into 20 individuals, including Mr. A, for suspected "jointly dangerous acts" under the Road Traffic Act. Mr. A and others are accused of staging a collective high-speed ride in the early hours of the 10th, using 11 motorcycles and one sedan to create a traffic hazard near the southern end of Mapo Bridge intersection.

Under the Road Traffic Act, a jointly dangerous act refers to two or more people collectively lining up two or more vehicles, either front-to-back or side-by-side, in a way that endangers others or creates a traffic hazard. Violators face up to 2 years in prison or fines of up to 5 million won. Offenses attributed to Mr. A and others include running red lights, crossing the center line, making unauthorized lane changes, and wheelie riding (lifting their motorcycle's front wheel while driving).

The police succeeded in identifying the 20 participants immediately after the incident. Although they utilized CCTV footage and traffic monitoring videos from the scene, it was the TikTok videos uploaded by the group themselves that proved decisive. Their boasting about their reckless stunt driving and mocking the police pursuit became a crucial source of evidence, effectively serving as a confession to illegal activity. Many suspects admitted their offenses in the face of this video evidence, and the police plan to formally charge them according to the degree of participation.

At around 1 a.m. on the 10th, a group of motorcycle gangs was riding in a pack on the Mapo Bridge in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yeongdeungpo Police Station, Seoul

Even if SNS posts are deleted, it is common for users who viewed or shared the videos to have copies. The police track down such material as well. Not having or obscuring a license plate does not guarantee anonymity, since each vehicle type still has distinct attachments and features. Police meticulously review CCTV footage, tracing each step of the group's movements. When they return home after the incident, their addresses and identities are fully determined. Meanwhile, the number of groups displaying stunt driving through the city with the national flag on national holidays or major commemorative days has markedly decreased. This is a result of changed investigative methods. To eradicate reckless speeding, police are holding both drivers involved in dangerous driving and mechanics participating in illegal vehicle modifications accountable.

From the night before until the early hours of the day, the National Police Agency conducted a nationwide special crackdown and detected 1,297 cases of traffic law violations. By type, the breakdown was 76 cases of drunk driving, 59 violations of the Automobile Management Act, 33 cases of driving without a license, and 1,079 cases of summary orders. With the announced crackdown in advance, there were no cases of reckless or retaliatory driving.

A police official warned, "Even if it is not possible to apprehend all speedsters at the scene, traces will always remain through CCTV, black boxes, and other means. There is nowhere to break the speed laws without leaving evidence."

The official added, "March 1st and August 15th, such as Independence Movement Day and Liberation Day, are national holidays that deserve appropriate dignity. We will thoroughly manage these days to prevent them from being turned into occasions for illegal activity or deviant behavior."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.