[26.02.21] Forest Service Chief Kim In-ho Fired After DUI Crash, Testing Discipline of Lee Administration Officials

President Lee Jae-myung Dismisses Korea Forest Service Chief Kim In-ho Over Drunk Driving Crash

📍Ran red light and hit two vehicles; license-suspension BAC level confirmed, CCTV shows near-miss with pedestrian

President Lee Jae-myung dismissed Korea Forest Service chief Kim In-ho on Feb. 21 after the official was criminally booked for a drunk-driving traffic accident the previous night. No injuries were reported, but CCTV footage showing a pedestrian narrowly avoiding the vehicle has sparked public criticism.

🔹 Accident Details
According to Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, Kim allegedly drove his personal sedan while intoxicated at around 10:50 p.m. on Feb. 20 at Singisa Intersection in Seongnam, colliding sequentially with a bus and another passenger car.

Police determined he entered the intersection without a proper signal and struck vehicles traveling lawfully from the left. Although no immediate injuries were confirmed, authorities noted that delayed injury complaints could still arise.

Kim was booked on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving). Investigators plan to summon him soon to determine his drinking circumstances and driving route.

A police official said additional charges under the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling could be applied if injuries are later confirmed.

🔹 BAC at License Suspension Level
Field testing showed Kim’s blood alcohol concentration was at a level warranting license suspension. Police notified related agencies including the Korea Forest Service and released him without detention because he did not meet emergency arrest conditions.

🔹 CCTV Shows Near Pedestrian Collision
CCTV footage obtained by YTN shows a black sedan rapidly approaching a pedestrian crossing during a walk signal. The pedestrian hurriedly moved away, narrowly avoiding what could have been a serious accident.

After the crash, the intersection was chaotic, with damaged vehicles stopped in the roadway and a detached bumper lying on the sidewalk as police and firefighters secured the scene.

🔹 Presidential Office: “Serious Legal Violation”
The Presidential Office stated it confirmed the official committed a serious violation of current laws and executed an immediate dismissal.

It added the administration would strictly address legal violations by senior officials to uphold public service discipline and meet public expectations.

🔹 Removed Six Months After Appointment
Kim, formerly a professor of environmental landscape architecture at Shingu College, also served as vice chair of the Democratic Party policy committee and head of an environmental education research institute. Appointed in August last year after the new administration took office, he stepped down after about six months.

One-line summary : Korea Forest Service chief Kim In-ho was dismissed after a drunk-driving crash, raising concerns about discipline among senior officials.