Insurers capitalize on tougher school zone punishments
Seen is a school zone in front of an elementary school in Seoul, March 25. / Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwonBy Park Jae-hyukSamsung, Hyundai, Meritz and several other general insurance companies here have begun to take advantage of tightened safety regulations in school zones to offset their deteriorating profits caused by low interest rates and the coronavirus pandemic, according to industry officials, Wednesday.Dubbed the “Min-sik Law” named after a nine-year-old boy killed by a car in front of his elementary school in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, in September 2019, the new law stipulates that drivers injuring children under 13 when driving in school zones at more than 30 kilometers per hour can face up to 15 years in prison or a 30 million won ($24,000) in fine.Those who caused a fatal accident in the zones can be sentenced to life in prison.Following the new regulations that went into effect March 25, most insurers in Korea increased their driver insurance coverage to 30 million won from 20 million won starting this month.KB Insurance took a more preemptive st
Apr 2, 2020By Park Jae-hyuk