A local man in his 60s will be spending time behind bars for threatening to assault a taxi driver with a weapon after the cab driver honked his horn at him. Authorities say the inability to control road rage can turn anyone into an offender...
Joseph Kim has more.

A driver is signalled to turn off his high-beam. Outraged… he chases the vehicle for 40 kilometers.

Another angry driver abruptly stops and goes in front of this car until they finally crash into each other… all for changing lanes in front of him.

[INTERVIEW]
Road rage victim
The car in front suddenly stopped… twice. I felt very threatened. I was scared.
보복운전 피해자
"그 차가 보복운전을 두 번이나 급정거를 하면서
위협을 했을때 겁나더라고요. 무섭고."

[SLUG]
Court sentences driver for threatening to use weapon

Courts apply heavy sentences for retaliatory drivers, so precaution is required behind the wheel.

Jeju District Court sentenced a 65 year old man, identified only by his last name Kim, to 6 months in jail with 2-years probation… after he threatened to strike a taxi driver with a weapon for honking his horn at Kim.

Kim was charged for assault… not for violating traffic regulations. Prior to this incident, he had no criminal record but his road rage suddenly turned him into an offender.

[interview]
Jeon Bo-seong / Public liaison officer, Jeju District Court
In this case, two drivers got into a quarrel over changing lanes, and one of the drivers grabbed a hammer from his car and threatened to use it. The court ruling shows that even if the cause of dispute is trivial, threatening to use a dangerous object can be heavily penalized.
전보성 제주지방법원 공보판사
"차선변경으로 시비가 붙어서 다툼이 있었는데 운전자중 한명이 쇠망치로 위협을 한 사안입니다. 재판부는 사소한 타툼일지라도 위험한 물건으로 위협을 하는 경우에는 무겁게 처벌받을 수 있음을 밝힌 판결입니다."

[Camera]
Park Byeong-joon

Last April, a man in his 30s was sentenced to a jail term of 8 months for threatening a driver with a knife for driving too slowly in front of him.

[Reporter]
Joseph Kim

Police recently stepped up crackdowns on road rage accidents and 5 people have so far been arrested… It is likely they will all be sentenced with assault charges.

Joseph Kim KCTV