President Lee Dismisses Korea Forest Service Chief Kim Inho Ex Officio Over DUI Accident... "Serious Legal Violations" (Comprehensive)

Steps down six months after appointment
Drunk driving accident at Singi Intersection in Bundang
"Plan to continue strict handling of legal violations by senior officials in each ministry"

President Lee Jaemyung has dismissed Korea Forest Service Commissioner Kim Inho from his post ex officio, citing the discovery of illegal conduct. This comes roughly six months after his appointment.

On the 21st, the presidential office announced, "We confirmed that the Korea Forest Service Commissioner caused public controversy by committing a serious violation of current laws and have taken ex officio dismissal measures." It added, "Going forward, the Lee Jaemyung administration will strictly deal with legal violations by high-ranking officials in each ministry, in order to establish discipline in the public sector and realize administration that meets the expectations of the people."

Commissioner Kim is reported to have caused an accident the previous day while driving in the Singi Intersection area of Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, by running a red light and crashing into other vehicles. A police investigation reportedly found that his blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was at a license-suspension level, meaning he was driving under the influence.

As a result of this ex officio dismissal, Commissioner Kim is stepping down roughly six months after his appointment. A former professor in the Department of Environmental Landscape Architecture at Shingu College, he has served as vice chair of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea and as head of the Institute for Innovation in Environmental Education. After the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, he was appointed Korea Forest Service Commissioner last August.