Police vow to speed up probe into deadly car crash

Police investigating the deadly car crash that killed nine people in downtown Seoul earlier this week said Wednesday they will speed up the probe as soon as the injured perpetrator's physical condition improves. The Seoul Namdaemun Police Station said it has asked the National Forensic Service (NIS) to scrutinize the perpetrator's sedan to ascertain whether his claim of sudden unintended acceleration as the cause of the crash is true. An NIS analysis of a vehicle's event data recorder (EDR) usually takes one to two months, the station said. Considering the seriousness of the case, however, the analysis period is expected to be shortened, it said in a media briefing. Surveillance camera footage shows a Hyundai Genesis sedan driven by the 68-year-old man, surnamed Cha, went against traffic about 200 meters after leaving a hotel near Seoul City Hall at 9:27 p.m. Monday before striking many pedestrians and two vehicles, crossing an intersection and stopping near City Hall Station. The police said the number of people injured from the car crash has increased by one to seven, as a pedestrian was rushed to a hospital without being reported to officers on the scene. Cha himself was hospitalized with broken ribs. Source: Yonhap News Agency