Another driver missing on Incheon Bridge, third incident this month

A view of Incheon Bridge. Courtesy of Incheon City

A driver went missing after leaving a car parked on Incheon Bridge, prompting a search by the Korea Coast Guard.

According to the Incheon Coast Guard on Thursday, authorities received a report at 3:33 a.m. from the bridge control center that “someone may have fallen into the sea.”

Responding officers found a vehicle stopped near one of the main towers of the bridge. Three patrol boats were deployed to search the surrounding area.

The incident is the latest in a string of similar cases on Sept. 9 and Sept. 22. Since its opening in 2009, at least 80 people have died at Incheon Bridge.

Authorities have attempted to implement safety measures, including the installation of 1,500 plastic barriers along the hard shoulder in November 2022 to stop vehicles from parking.

However, the barriers were removed last month after safety officials argued that emergency stopping space on the bridge was necessary.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.