South Korea bicycle fatalities rise 13% despite overall accident decrease

According to the ‘2025 Bicycle Usage Status’ report released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, bicycle-related accidents in South Korea showed a mixed trend. While total accidents decreased by 6% from 5,571 to 5,235 cases, fatalities rose by 13.3%, increasing from 75 to 85 people.

In Gyeongsangnam-do, the trend diverged from the national average. While nationwide accidents fell, Gyeongsangnam-do saw a slight increase in accidents (247 cases) and injuries (267 people). The region maintains a high volume of public bicycle usage, accounting for approximately 9.5% of the nation's total rentals, with Changwon alone contributing 94.6% of the province's usage.

Data indicates that 66.1% of all accidents were caused by failure to fulfill safe driving duties. Regarding infrastructure, the total length of bicycle paths in the country grew to 28,453 km. Additionally, the expansion of group insurance coverage by local governments now provides benefits to approximately 90% of the population.