Driver in fatal Seoul City Hall crash reiterates ‘unintended acceleration’ claim despite forensic findings

Social Affairs

Published: 22 Jul. 2024, 11:23 Updated: 22 Jul. 2024, 11:24

Driver in fatal Seoul City Hall crash reiterates ‘unintended acceleration’ claim despite forensic findings

Police control the site where a Genesis G80 hit people and crashed into a guardrail near Seoul City Hall in central Seoul on July 1. [YONHAP]

A driver involved in a deadly car incident near Seoul City Hall repeated his claims that his vehicle had unintentionally accelerated, causing the crash, during the investigation's third round of questioning, police said Monday.

Investigators from the Seoul Namdaemun Police Precinct questioned the 68-year-old driver, surnamed Cha, at the hospital where he is currently staying on Friday at noon.

On July 1, Cha’s Genesis G80 sped the wrong way on a road near Seoul City Hall and struck dozens of pedestrians. Nine were killed and seven were injured in the incident.

In the three-hour-long investigation on Friday, Cha repeatedly claimed that there was a fault with his car and that caused the "sudden unintended acceleration." He has been maintaining this claim since the incident.

His claim contradicts findings from the National Forensic Service, which assessed that the driver pressed the accelerator pedal to 90 percent of its full capacity. The authority also found there was no evidence that Cha had put his foot on the brake pedal.

A police official said they are investigating the case with all possibilities considered.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, KIM EUN-BIN [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]