25.08.08.Today News : City Hall Wrong-Way Crash Driver’s Sentence Reduced to 5 Years in Appeal

City Hall Wrong-Way Crash Driver’s Sentence Reduced to 5 Years in Appeal

• Driver in his 60s who caused 9 deaths and 5 injuries receives reduced sentence in second trial

A 69-year-old driver who caused a deadly wrong-way crash near City Hall Station in Seoul, leaving 9 people dead and 5 injured, had his sentence reduced to five years in prison in the appellate court. The court rejected his claim of sudden unintended acceleration but considered partial settlements with victims and his insurance coverage as mitigating factors.

A 60-year-old driver who killed nine people in a head-on collision at City Hall Station had his sentence reduced to five years in prison on appeal.

In July last year, a catastrophic accident occurred near City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, when a vehicle driven by Cha, a 69-year-old man, drove in the wrong direction before plowing onto the sidewalk and crosswalk. The crash resulted in the deaths of 9 people and injuries to 5 others, causing a total of 14 casualties.

From the police investigation through the trial, Cha consistently claimed that the incident was caused by sudden unintended acceleration, denying all charges. However, the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 5-1 upheld the guilty verdict in the second trial, stating that the crash occurred because Cha mistakenly pressed the wrong pedal.

The sentence was reduced from seven years and six months in the first trial to five years. While the first court viewed the deaths, injuries, and traffic violations as separate crimes (real concurrence) and added the penalties, the appellate court ruled that the multiple outcomes stemmed from a single act (ideal concurrence), sentencing him only for the most serious offense.

The court cited Cha’s automobile insurance, which allowed some bereaved families to receive compensation, as well as settlements reached with the families of five deceased victims and four injured victims, as reasons for mitigation. However, it noted that no settlement was reached with the families of four other deceased victims and one injured victim, and that the scale of damage, irreversible consequences, and Cha’s continued denial of responsibility were taken into account.

One-line summary : A driver in his 60s who killed nine people in a wrong-way crash near City Hall Station had his sentence reduced to five years in the appeal.