Police conclude that ”wrong-way driving accident at City Hall Station” was caused by ”poor driving skills”... No vehicle defects (Korea)

Police investigating the wrong-way driving accident at Seoul City Hall Station, which left nine people dead, have concluded that the accident was caused by the poor driving skills of the driver, suspect Cha (68).
Ryu Jae-heeok, chief of the Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul, said at a press conference announcing the results of the investigation on the morning of the 1st, "The suspect has consistently maintained that the accident was caused by a vehicle defect.
"Contrary to what the police claim, it has been confirmed that the driver was inexperienced," Ryu said.
"The emergency discharge (EDR) also recorded the brake pedal normally," and "EDR analysis showed that the brake pedal was not activated from 5.0 seconds before the accident occurred until the time of the accident (0.0 seconds)."
In addition, CCTV (security camera) footage and dashcam footage from the witness' car also showed that the auxiliary brake lights flashed momentarily immediately after the collision, but the brake lights were not on while the vehicle was moving.
It was also confirmed that Cha stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake at the time of the accident.
Ryu said, "The amount of displacement of the accelerator varies from 99% to 0%.
"It was recorded that he repeatedly 'pressed and released' (the accelerator)," and "the analysis concluded that the pattern found on the sole of the right shoe the suspect was wearing at the time of the accident was consistent with the accelerator.
Ryu added, "The suspect came about 7-8 meters from the parking lot exit and heard a 'thud thud' sound, and said, 'The brakes became hard and I couldn't step on them,' and he said there was a defect in the vehicle."
"We have consistently maintained that it was an accident caused by a car accident," he said. Police sent Cha to the prosecution this morning on suspicion of violating the Special Act on Traffic Accidents (professional negligence resulting in death or injury).
The suspect was arrested on the 30th of last month. Cha was driving a car leaving the underground parking lot of the Westin Chosun Hotel near City Hall Station at around 9:27 pm on the 1st of last month when he accelerated and drove onto the sidewalk.
Nine people were killed in the accident and seven others, including Cha and his wife, were injured. Police have sent the car Cha was driving, its dashcam, EDR, and other records to the National Forensic Service for detailed forensic analysis and evaluation.
They also investigated 12 CCTV cameras and four dashcams from around the accident scene.