9-year-old drives mother’s car in Daejeon

A 9-year-old boy in Daejeon drove his mom’s car for nearly 7 kilometers on Wednesday before ramming into 10 vehicles, becoming the second child to get behind the wheel of a parent’s car in a week in Korea.

The minor drove on the road, traveling between a local district office, a supermarket and his apartment -- places he has been to with his mom. The accident resulted in damage to a total of 10 cars at several sites before the boy was caught by police within an hour of leaving home.

The boy, who is in his third year of elementary school, is thought to have taken the car keys while his mom was distracted. He started his mom’s car in the underground parking lot at their apartment, local police said.

The mom called the police after she found out her son was missing, along with her car keys.

The boy reportedly told police that he learned how to drive from playing video games and searching the internet.

The boy’s parents are now at risk of facing civil suits as children younger than 9 years old do not bear criminal responsibility in the country.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)