Footage from a nearby car’s dashcam captured the car crashing across lanes on a main road near Seoul’s City Hall subway station on July 1, 2024. (Courtesy of reader/Yonhap)

At 9:26 p.m. Monday, a group of coworkers emerged from a restaurant and stood on a corner near the Seoul City Hall intersection in central Seoul. Just 20 seconds later, a Genesis G80 crashed through the barriers and crashed straight into them, according to surveillance footage reviewed by Hankyoreh.

“We still have the flowers they brought with them when they visited us,” said Park, the 66-year-old owner of the restaurant, as Park watched the restaurant that was the epicenter of the horrific accident the night before.

“You’ll recall that the weather was really nice yesterday. The victims bought a drink and had to go outside to smoke with their friends,” Park said.

Then there was a deafening explosion, and everyone in the restaurant jumped to their feet and looked outside. The previous night’s incident is still fresh in the minds of witnesses. “I feel like I’m in a daze,” one said.

The following account can be gathered from witnesses, the Namdaemun Police Station, and security camera footage viewed by Hankyoreh. A Genesis G80 sedan emerged from the underground parking lot of the Westin Josun Hotel in the Sogong district of central Seoul at 9:26 p.m. The vehicle accelerated rapidly, driving the wrong way down a four-lane, one-way street, and then struck the sidewalk. Witnesses said the vehicle sped past them, ignoring traffic lights, and that they heard a loud bang as it struck the sidewalk.

“I thought a bomb had gone off. We heard a loud bang from inside the store,” said a 47-year-old man surnamed Kim, who owns a store near the crash site. Kim said the vehicle also narrowly missed pedestrians on a crosswalk.

Video from another security camera reviewed by Hankyoreh shows the vehicle crashing through a guardrail and running over pedestrians, with people who narrowly escaped the vehicle spinning around in visible shock.

A frame from a nearby store’s surveillance footage showing the immediate effects of a car collision. (courtesy of the reader)

The accident killed nine pedestrians, while the drivers of the BMW and Sonata and two pedestrians were injured. The driver of the vehicle that caused the accident, a 68-year-old man surnamed Cha, and his wife and passenger, a 65-year-old man surnamed Kim, were taken to hospital for their injuries.

The number of deaths and injuries rose from 13 to 15 on Tuesday, including drivers who suffered minor injuries.

Police arrested Cha for manslaughter under the Road Accidents Special Cases Act and are considering whether to apply for an arrest warrant. Police said a blood alcohol test confirmed that Cha had not been drinking. A rapid drug test came back negative, but given the seriousness of the incident, police also took a blood sample for further testing.

Cha reportedly claimed the accident was caused by the sudden, unintentional acceleration of his vehicle, but police said they could not question him because he was hospitalized with broken ribs.

With experts challenging Cha’s claims of unintentional acceleration, police are looking to recreate the vehicle’s sudden acceleration by combining footage from security cameras at the hotel and shops in the area and statements from victims and witnesses.

Police immediately seized the Genesis G80 on Monday to preserve evidence and asked the National Forensic Service for a detailed inspection. The vehicle’s on-board event recorder (EDR) will take a month or two to analyze.

The vehicle’s registration records, which were checked by Hankyoreh, show a production date of May 2018, and it has travelled a total of 66,183 km since then. The vehicle was owned by Kim, Cha’s wife and a passenger at the time of the accident.

The vehicle has undergone standard inspections twice, in June 2022 and May this year, and has had three repairs recorded.

Cha was reportedly an experienced bus driver with more than 40 years of driving experience. “He worked with us for one year and four months on a temporary contract. His schedule was one day on and one day off, and the accident happened on his day off. He has no history of accidents since joining the company,” a bus company employee Cha told Hankyoreh by phone.

Before joining the company, Cha reportedly worked as a bus driver in Seoul and also as a truck driver.

Many people visited the intersection near Seoul City Hall where the accident occurred to pay their respects to the deceased on Tuesday. About a dozen bouquets of chrysanthemums rested on the barrier, soaked by heavy rain. “I hope the dreams of the deceased will come true in the next life,” one message read.

“As a frequent pedestrian here, the accident could have happened to me. It’s a grim thought that kept me awake last night. I dropped by on my way to work because I thought I should pay my respects to the victims,” ​​said Bae Seo-yeong, 30, who stopped at the scene.

Authors: Kim Ga-yoon, reporter; Yoon Yeon-jeong, reporter; Go Na-rin, reporter; Lee Ji-hye, reporter

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