Driver behind deadly car crash apologizes at court hearing

The 68-year-old driver behind the fatal car crash that killed nine pedestrians near Seoul City Hall on July 1 attends an arrest warrant hearing at Seoul Central District Court, Tuesday. (Yonhap)

The driver behind the fatal car crash that killed nine pedestrians near Seoul City Hall earlier this month repeatedly apologized as he attended an arrest warrant court hearing Tuesday morning.

“I’m very, very sorry to the deceased and bereaved families,” the 68-year-old, surnamed Cha, said as he entered Seoul Central District Court at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday morning.

Cha showed up to the hearing with his face covered with a cap and a mask while being asked several questions by reporters.

Some of the questions included his reasoning behind the crash being caused by sudden unintended acceleration and regarding the results of the analysis conducted by the National Forensic Service on Cha’s car. The driver, however, did not answer any of the questions and only repeatedly said that he was sorry.

The 68-year-old, who had been hospitalized due to a broken rib up until Tuesday’s court hearing, limped to the court.

On July 1, a sedan crashed into pedestrians waiting for a traffic light at an intersection near Exit No. 7 of Seoul’s City Hall Station in Jung-gu, central Seoul. The car was driving in the wrong direction and ended up hitting the pedestrians before colliding with two other vehicles. The crash resulted in nine fatalities, with seven others injured.

Police filed an arrest warrant for the driver on July 25 based on the gravity of the crime and details they found during their investigation.

Cha had repeatedly claimed since the crash that the accident was caused by sudden unintended acceleration, saying his brakes were “stiff” and “did not function properly.” However, an analysis conducted by the National Forensic Service on Cha’s vehicle on July 11 showed he had pressed the accelerator up to 90 percent of its full capacity and never hit the brakes during the accident.

By Lee Jung-joo(lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com)