Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PeterDragon]

jgfgjf

[Ruraljuror]

http://www.korealawblog.com/entry/why_i_dont_drive_in_korea_and_you_shouldnt_either

[catman]

From the article:

[Horangi Munshin]

Don't worry. When I had a very similar accident. (I was stopped and was hit by someone). The general consensus at work was when you are rear-ended it's the guy that hit you who is 100% at fault.

I wonder why your insurance company is so useless though. I had someone who speaks Korean who could call for me.

[Jane]

I was also in a car accident a week ago. Similarly, I was also the vicitim of stupid drivers here in Korea (apparently my adjumma being a little less bright since she smacked me from the front-right, while I wasn't moving!).

If you are hit, and it's relatively minor, first thing you should do is call your insurance company. Then, take pictures of all damage with your mobile. I always keep a stick of chalk in my glove box so I can mark the tires on the asphalt before moving the car.

The most important thing when dealing with insurance companies is to get a CLAIM NUMBER from the other person's insurance company. I suggest you get this number before you leave the scene. This number allows you to seek medical coverage or car repair work from the other person's insurance company. Without this number, there isn't much action you can take.

In my case, I was hit in the morning, so my insurance company (Samsung) sent a representative out right away to greet me at the scene, do paperwork and take pictures. Ultimately, he was responsible for negotiating on my behalf with the dumb adjumma's insurance company. I also called the police to come out and take a report (I did this since it was so obvious it was not my fault and wanted to have two reports saying so!)

I also got the dumb adjumma's phone number and license plate number.

Turns out, I'm pegged for 20% and the dumb adjumma got 80% and my insurance premium will not go down next year.

As for percentages of fault in Korea, I've heard that 70/30% is quite normal for a regular accident when one person is at fault. By holding the victim accountable for a certain percentage, it discourages people from purposely causing accidents and claiming on them. The only exception to the rule is if you are rear-ended, and in that case you should get 100/0% fault.

Informally however, for very minor accidents, I believe Koreans usually do a cash pay-off, and avoid going through insurance companies. For this reason, it's wise to keep 100,000won or so in your glove box.

This information is based on my experience, and therefore I cannot attest to the accuracy.

[oskinny1]

[Juregen]

[Typhoon]

[RACETRAITOR]

I've had two serious-ish accidents involving collisions with moving cars while on my scooter. One time the damage wasn't enough to warrant any action, and the other time the other driver paid 100% of my repair bill.

[640x480]

Racetraitor, which insurance company do you have and how did you get connected?

[NoExplode]

Very few US states do not have a blame-sharing law. In my home state, it is NEVER 100% anyone's fault, even if the guy was an escaped convict who carjacked the car he was in, got blind drunk and hit another moving car. Exceptions are hitting pedestrians, bikes or parked cars. Otherwise it's 90/10 at least.

[logan2003]

Ok..I have experience in this matter...rear ended...100% their fault..(there are special cases where this is not the case...police told me this)

I was hit by someone making a left turn on a red light....hit us then tried to escape....this non whitey way-gook got about 15 million won in damages...replacing the car about 8mill and the rest for damages...actually that was a 2 part deal.

So um...yeah no sharing in that case. It helps that many people were there too!

[RACETRAITOR]

[nobbyken]

[bassexpander]

I've got a disposable camera in my glovebox. I'll have to add some chalk, too. Good idea.