A video of the scene from when Korea Forest Service Administrator Kim In-ho, who was dismissed from office for driving in a state of extreme intoxication, caused the crash was released on the 21st.
According to the Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi and others, Administrator Kim was driving at about 10:50 p.m. on the 20th at Singi Intersection in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, when he collided with two vehicles, including a bus and a passenger car.
According to the fire authorities, there were passengers on the bus at the time, but no patients were transported to a hospital.
According to closed-circuit (CC)TV footage obtained by TV CHOSUN, Administrator Kim ran a red light and went straight, then crashed into cars that were proceeding normally after receiving the signal from the left.
During this process, a pedestrian who had the walk signal and was crossing the street was nearly hit. The pedestrian reportedly narrowly avoided Administrator Kim's car and was not injured.
According to police, Administrator Kim's blood alcohol concentration at the time of the crash was at a license-suspension level. Police booked Administrator Kim on suspicion of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act and of causing injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.
On the morning of the 21st, the presidential spokesperson's office said, "President Lee Jae-myung confirmed that the Korea Forest Service Administrator committed a serious violation of current law and caused public controversy, and took dismissal by authority." He stepped down about six months after being appointed in Aug. last year.
Administrator Kim worked as a professor at a junior college for 30 years, joined the Democratic Party of Korea in Apr. 2022, and served as a vice chair of the party's policy committee from Mar. to Aug. last year. During the process of his appointment as Korea Forest Service Administrator, it was revealed that he "self-recommended" himself on the "People's Recommendation System" website, which the Lee Jae-myung administration set up to receive direct recommendations of senior officials from the public, sparking controversy.