Police Reinvestigate for 9 Months
"No Charges" Conclusion... Unusual Case
A grandmother who lost her grandson in a suspected sudden unintended acceleration accident in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, was found not guilty again after a reinvestigation.
According to the police on the 30th, the Gangneung Police Station recently received case-related documents from the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office Gangneung Branch following a decision of 'no request for prosecution.' The 'no request for prosecution' means that even if the police, who had previously decided not to prosecute, reinvestigated the case at the request of the prosecution and sent a result of 'no charges,' the prosecution also concludes that the matter is not prosecutable and closes the case. With this, Ms. A (71), the grandmother, was completely cleared of charges after 1 year and 10 months since the incident.
Earlier, on December 6, 2022, Ms. A was driving a Tivoli passenger car in Hongje-dong, Gangneung City, when a suspected sudden unintended acceleration accident occurred, resulting in the death of her grandson, Lee Dohyun (aged 12 at the time). She was subsequently criminally charged with involuntary manslaughter under the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling. After the story became known, petitions seeking leniency for Ms. A poured in from across the country.
The police judged that there were limitations in the National Forensic Service's forensic results, which stated 'no mechanical defects and the possibility of pedal misoperation.' Accordingly, in October last year, Ms. A was not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence.
However, the prosecution deemed it necessary to review materials submitted in the damages lawsuit between Dohyun’s family and KG Mobility regarding responsibility for the suspected sudden unintended acceleration accident and requested a reinvestigation from the police. After re-examining the case, the police concluded after nine months of reinvestigation that there was no charge, consistent with the previous investigation. It is unusual for the police not to accept the National Forensic Service’s forensic results and decide not to prosecute in a suspected sudden unintended acceleration case.
Dohyun’s family is currently pursuing a damages lawsuit worth 760 million won against KG Mobility. The court plans to conduct expert witness examinations in December and deliver the first trial verdict around February next year.
Dohyun’s father, Lee Sanghoon, said on the 30th, "I hope my mother can live more comfortably with less guilt," and added, "We will fight to the end to uncover the truth of the case through the civil lawsuit against the manufacturer. We will do our best to ensure that the Dohyun Act (Partial Amendment to the Product Liability Act) is enacted."
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