South Korean streamer rescued by Taiwan driver from 'pedestrian hell'

台灣司機從“行人地獄”中救出韓國主播

Taiwanese driver shields South Korean Twitcher as she fords zebra crossing without signals


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Over the weekend, a South Korean social media influencer found herself stranded at a zebra crossing because it lacked a pedestrian traffic signal.

On April 23, South Korean Twitch streamer and YouTuber Yoo Yoonjin, better known by her handle Jinnytty (企鵝妹), started on her "waddlethon," a quest to walk around Taiwan. However, on Saturday (April 29), Yoo had a brush with Taiwan's "pedestrian hell" as she found herself stuck at a zebra crossing for nearly three minutes with no pedestrian traffic signal in sight.

In recent days, she has been exploring northern Taiwan. On Saturday, she posted a live video stream showing her walking from Keelung City to Jinshan Old Street in New Taipei City.

When she reached a zebra crossing at the Jinjin Highway section of Provincial Highway No. 2 in New Taipei City's Wanli District, there was a steady stream of vehicles traveling at high speeds in both directions. With no signs of the traffic easing up, she looked around for the pedestrian pushbutton, but soon realized there was no pedestrian traffic signal at all.

It appears that there the traffic lights for the vehicles are not functioning and are simply steadily flashing yellow. Given these factors, there did not appear to be a legal way for pedestrians to cross the street.

While standing at the intersection, a woman handed her a package of Japanese foot patches she had forgotten during an earlier purchase. As she waited, there was a brief lull in the traffic and her online fans urged her to go immediately.

However, Yoo was concerned that it was unsafe as there were still many vehicles driving towards her. A white sedan then pulled up to her left and the driver said in English "Follow me, follow me."

The car then cut across the traffic and the driver used his vehicle as a shield Yoo from the unrelenting torrent of traffic. She thanked the driver as she finally made it to the other side of the street and exclaimed "damn saved!"

Once she resumed her journey, Yoon said that all of these encounters with "helpers in Taiwan, across this waddlethon, make this waddlethon so much more fun and exciting." She added that "it feels like I'm not alone."

A Taiwanese Facebook page called Taiwan a "living hell for pedestrians," drawing attention from international media such as CNN, which in December 2022, claimed Taiwan suffers from "battlefield-like" traffic conditions.