Controversy over illegal truck modifications... Government vs. drivers at a standstill

Controversy Over Illegal Truck Modifications… Government vs. Drivers in a Tense Standoff [Anchor] Controversy continues regarding structural modifications to truck cargo beds. The government maintains that legal action is being taken, citing safety threats, but truck drivers are pushing back, arguing that this is an administration that ignores reality. Reporter Paeng Jae-yong reports. [Reporter] A cargo bed suddenly falls from a truck and flies towards it, and the truck, while turning a curve, also overturns. This is the scene of an accident involving a truck with illegal structural modifications. The police conducted a crackdown on vehicles with illegal structural modifications that threaten road safety, arresting both the drivers and the operators of the illegal modification business. However, there are also those who structurally modified their vehicles out of necessity, despite knowing it was illegal. Trucks transporting wood chips, which are widely used as fuel for combined heat and power plants, are one such example. [Kim 00 / Driver of an illegally modified cargo truck] "Currently, there are no specific trucks transporting wood chips, so we are operating this. It is estimated that there are about 2,000 to 3,000 such vehicles nationwide." These drivers have taken to the roads to make a living without obtaining official certification for their modified vehicles. Government authorities are only offering general responses, stating that illegally modified vehicles are subject to crackdowns because they can threaten road safety. [Korea Transportation Safety Authority Official] "An order for restoration to the original condition is issued. Administrative penalties for temporary inspections and restoration are imposed, along with criminal penalties of imprisonment for up to one year and a fine of up to 3 million won." There are growing calls for the realities of the industrial field to be reflected, just as much as the government's policy that traffic safety comes first. This is Paeng Jae-yong from Yonhap News TV. Yonhap News TV Tip Line: 02-398-4409, [email protected] (End)