On the 29th, the Gwangju Seobu Police Station arrested Kim (32) on suspicion of hit-and-run causing death under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and his friend, Oh (33), on suspicion of aiding the suspect in fleeing. The police are also investigating a junior colleague, Kim (31), for aiding in the flight, and another junior colleague, Yang (31), for assisting in drunk driving.
Kim, who was driving a borrowed corporate Maserati, collided with a motorcycle ahead of him on a road near a footbridge in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, around 3:10 a.m. on the 24th. The accident resulted in the death of a woman (28), who was the passenger on the motorcycle, and the serious injury of the male driver (23).
About three hours before the accident, Kim joined a drinking gathering at a sushi restaurant in Sangmujigu in Gwangju Seo-gu with his junior colleagues. After consuming two bottles of soju, they continued the drinking session at a karaoke room and then engaged in drunk driving that led to the fatal accident before fleeing the scene.
After the hit-and-run, Kim drove a friend’s Benz to a hotel in Sangmujigu to collect his belongings and then fled. It was confirmed that he had fled to Daejeon, Incheon International Airport, and Seoul, with plans to escape to Thailand, as he had made flight reservations. Kim, in an attempt to evade police tracking, turned off his cell phone right after the accident, took the Benz to Seoul, and used his junior colleague’s cell phone to book an overseas flight for departure. In addition, he orchestrated a well-planned escape, including using an accomplice’s burner phone during his escape route from Incheon International Airport to Seoul.
Police verified that Kim’s registered address was listed at a community center in Buk-gu, Gwangju, as his previous address had been erased. It was revealed that Kim had been shuttling between Korea and Thailand for some time before the drunk driving incident occurred.
The police plan to investigate whether the Maserati, Benz, Land Rover Discovery, and other luxury vehicles involved in the hit-and-run were stolen. They also intend to verify whether these unemployed individuals earned money through various criminal activities. A police official stated, “We will thoroughly investigate various suspicions surrounding Kim and the other four individuals involved, using criminal investigators.”
The deceased female victim had left her father’s 60th birthday party two weeks ago and lost her life in the tragic accident. She had been working at a logistics center for the past two years, packaging goods before shipping, and despite her modest salary, she regularly provided pocket money to her parents. The victim’s father expressed his desire for severe punishment, stating, “She was a dutiful daughter who wanted to hold a delayed 60th birthday party for me on my birthday. Those suspects who not only engaged in drunk driving but also fled should be severely punished. Our daughter was our last hope.”