President Lee Jae-myung on the 21st dismissed Korea Forest Service Administrator Kim In-ho ex officio, saying unlawful conduct had been found, and it was disclosed that Kim recently caused a drunk driving crash.
The presidential office said that it had confirmed that the Korea Forest Service administrator committed a serious violation of current laws, causing a stir, and dismissed him ex officio.
The presidential office did not disclose what law Kim violated, but the reason for the ex officio dismissal emerged as the Bundang Police Station in Seongnam said that day it had booked Kim on criminal charges for violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving).
Kim is suspected of, at about 10:50 p.m. on the 20th, driving his own passenger car while intoxicated at Singi Intersection in Bundang District, Seongnam, and crashing into two vehicles in succession, including a bus and a passenger car.
He reportedly ran straight through a red light and made contact with vehicles to the left that had a green light and were proceeding normally. No injuries have been reported so far. Kim's blood alcohol concentration at the time was reportedly at a license-suspension level.
As a result, Kim is stepping down after about six months in the post.
Kim, a former professor in the department of environmental landscape architecture at Shingu University, served as vice chair of the policy committee for the Democratic Party of Korea and head of the Institute for Innovation in Environmental Education before being appointed in Aug. last year after the launch of the new administration.
In Oct. last year, controversy also arose when it emerged that he had "self-recommended" himself on the "public recommendation system" website that the Lee Jae-myung administration opened to receive direct recommendations for senior officials from the public.
The presidential office said, "Going forward, the Lee Jae-myung administration will strictly handle violations of laws by senior officials in each ministry to establish discipline in the civil service and deliver administration that meets the public's expectations."