CITIZENS CLEAN UP BROKEN BOTTLES

[Anchor Lead]

Liquor bottles fallen from a truck had caused a traffic nightmare a while ago. But without being asked, citizens voluntarily came together to clean up the broken bottles on the street. Such heartwarming cooperation recurred, this time in Incheon. Citizens worked together to clean up hundreds of soju bottles in 30 minutes.

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Broken soju bottles cover the middle of an intersection. About 20 soju boxes fell from a truck making a left turn. The vehicles behind the truck could have gotten into accidents as well. That was when the citizens who were at the scene stepped up.

[Soundbite] Lee Se-rim(Incheon Resident) : "People brought out plastic bags and trash bags, and passers-by joined in to clean up the mess."

Some swept up the debris while others picked up the broken bottles with their hands. A motorcycle turned on its emergency light to keep them safe. With the help of roughly a dozen citizens, the street was cleaned up in just thirty minutes.

[Soundbite] Gyeong Dae-seong(Incheon Resident) : "Everyone said it should be cleaned up quickly, that broken glass could cause accidents. It was taken care of quickly, because a lot of people came to help."

A similar accident occurred in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Province late last month. About 2,000 beer bottles had toppled onto the street from a 5-ton truck. But citizens worked together to clean up the mess in just half an hour. These incidents highlighted the cooperative civic spirit but also raised concerns over recurring accidents involving trucks loaded with cargo.

[Soundbite] Prof. Park Mu-hyeok(Road Traffic Authority) : "Training, guidance and publicity are needed so that they aware that big accidents can happen when they do not fasten their cargo properly."

Police said the truck driver who had spilled the soju bottles was at fault but did not impose any penalty given the fact that the driver had led the cleanup effort.