Spread of baseless rumors in communities
Police: "No concrete conclusion reached"
Baseless rumors are spreading about the cause of the traffic accident at Seoul City Hall Station that resulted in 15 casualties. The police investigating the accident even released a statement denying the rumors.
On the 2nd, numerous posts speculating about the situation at the time of the accident the previous day appeared on online communities and social networking services (SNS). Some netizens claimed that there was a quarrel between the driver, Mr. Cha (68), who was in the offending vehicle, and his wife, who was seated in the front passenger seat.
Water cleaning is being carried out on the 2nd at the accident site near Exit 7 of City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, where a major traffic accident occurred. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the same day, a post was uploaded on the anonymous workplace community 'Blind' by an employee of a hotel affiliate where the party attended by the Cha couple before the accident was held. The employee claimed, "It is true that the accident was caused by a sudden acceleration due to a quarrel between the couple," and added, "I understand that this is clearly captured on the hotel's closed-circuit television (CCTV), which the police have also taken." Although the original post has been deleted as of the morning of the 3rd, screenshots of it are still circulating in the community.
Earlier, Cha’s wife explained in a media interview that the couple was returning home after attending her brother-in-law’s 70th birthday party before the accident. She emphasized that the party was a meal-only event without any alcoholic beverages.
As the rumors spread rapidly, the police issued an official statement around 6 p.m. that day. The Seoul Namdaemun Police Station, which is investigating the case, stated, "No specific conclusion has been reached regarding the cause of the traffic accident at the City Hall intersection," and requested, "Please be careful not to distort the facts through unverified reports as the related investigation is ongoing."
The police are currently investigating Mr. Cha on charges of violating the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling. On the evening of the 1st, at approximately 9:26 p.m., Mr. Cha drove in the wrong direction at high speed on a one-way street near City Hall Station. The Genesis he was driving collided with two other vehicles and then rushed onto the sidewalk with a crosswalk, hitting pedestrians. The accident resulted in a total of 15 casualties.
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