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Ex-Korea Forest Service chief booked on DUI charge after crashing into bus, SUV

Published: 22 Feb. 2026, 18:00 Updated: 22 Feb. 2026, 19:44

A vehicle driven by Kim In-ho, the former head of the Korea Forest Service, is seen in this surveillance camera footage in Jeongja-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Feb. 20. Kim had been driving under the influence. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kim In-ho, the former head of the Korea Forest Service who was dismissed after committing an “unlawful act,” was found to have driven his car into a bus carrying 12 people, including the bus driver, while under the influence.

The Bundang Police Precinct in Gyeonggi booked him without detention on charges of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act.

Kim is accused of driving under the influence at around 10:50 p.m. on Friday and crashing his passenger car into a bus and SUV in a chain collision at the Singi intersection in Jeongja-dong, Bundang District.

He allegedly ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, severely damaging the driver’s side of his own. However, no one was taken to the hospital in the immediate aftermath.

Kim’s blood alcohol concentration was measured at a level warranting a license suspension — between 0.03 and 0.079 percent — shortly after the crash. When asked to identify himself at the scene, Kim reportedly told an officer that he was “the Korea Forest Service chief,” disclosing his public office position.

Surveillance camera footage shows a pedestrian crossing the street, the walk signal illuminated, when Kim’s vehicle speeds forward. The pedestrian narrowly avoids being hit by quickly stepping aside. Another clip captures passersby reacting in shock after the bus involved in the collision moves out of frame.

An emergency call was first received from a witness at 10:54 p.m. on Friday. According to firefighters who responded, 12 people were on board the bus. After approximately 30 minutes, firefighters confirmed that no one wished to be transported to a medical facility and handed the scene over to the police at 11:23 p.m.

There were no other passengers in Kim’s vehicle, and two people, including the driver, were in the SUV. If any of the 14 people involved — including the bus driver and 11 passengers — submit medical certificates, proving they were injured in the crash, the police may apply charges of causing bodily injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

Kim In-ho, the former head of the Korea Forest Service, speaks at a meeting on Jan. 26. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“Only one day has passed since the accident, so no victim has submitted a medical certificate yet,” a police official said. “We plan to review any documents submitted by victims and then coordinate a summons schedule for the suspect.”

President Lee Jae Myung confirmed that the Korea Forest Service chief had stirred public controversy by committing a serious violation of current law and ordered his dismissal, according to a Blue House official on Saturday.

According to a report, the name of which translates to the “2025 Alcohol Statistical Yearbook,” released in September last year by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute, the annual rate of drunk driving among adults aged 19 and older fell sharply from 17.1 percent in 2011 to 2.1 percent in 2023. The proportion of drunk driving accidents among total traffic accidents also declined from 12.8 percent in 2011 to 6.6 percent in 2023.

Last September, the Ministry of Personnel Management established disciplinary standards not only for drunk driving but also for aiding, abetting or concealing drunk driving to tighten rules involving DUIs for public officials.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON SUNG-BAE [[email protected]]