Fee for transporting the body of a car accident victim’s relatives sparks controversy

A mourner pours soju at the accident site in central Seoul on Thursday to offer condolences to the victims. Nine people died in the accident on July 1. Newsis

By Lee Hae-rin

A debate has erupted online over the 800,000 won ($579) body repatriation fee charged to the relatives of one of the victims of a fatal car crash in downtown Seoul on July 1 that killed nine people.

A post titled “Is it right for the victim’s family to pay for the recovery of the city hall disaster scene?” was uploaded to an online community called Bobae Dream on Friday.

The online user, who claimed to be an acquaintance of one of the bereaved families, wrote: “During the funeral, the bereaved family was sent a bill for 800,000 won for the repatriation and recovery costs at the site since the accident.”

“Is it right for the grieving family to pay (the bill) after experiencing such a tragic accident where they had no choice?” the author wrote, questioning whether it was right to demand payment, especially during a time of mourning.

According to a local news report, a private company that recovered the body and transported it from the accident scene to the burial site issued the grieving family with the bill for the accident last Monday.

At the time, the private company transported the body instead of an ambulance. The reason for this was the fire department’s internal regulations, which give ambulances priority for the transport of emergency patients and prohibit the transport of deceased people.

There is a divided public opinion regarding the validity of expense reports.

Some said it was unfortunate but inevitable. One online commenter responded, “It’s heartbreaking but there is due process. The insurance company pays for it anyway, not the grieving family.” Others agreed, “It’s inevitable.”

Others argued that the expense report was not justified.

“How can you charge the victim for the cost of medical care on site after the accident? It is right to ask the perpetrator to pay for it,” wrote one online user.

“It feels kind of weird because money seems to come before life,” wrote another.

When asked by a commenter how the payment was made, the author replied: “I was told the payment was made by the mourner’s family. I told them to keep the receipt and bank transfer details just in case.” However, the online comment has since been deleted.

On July 1 at around 9:27 p.m., a 68-year-old man’s sedan sped in the wrong direction and drove about 200 meters on a one-way street near Seoul City Hall, colliding with two other cars and then hitting pedestrians on the sidewalk near the intersection.

Nine people were killed and seven injured in the devastating accident. The driver of the vehicle is currently under investigation after being accused of professional negligence resulting in death under the special law on the treatment of traffic accidents.