President Lee Jae-myung dismissed Korea Forest Service Administrator Kim In-ho on Tuesday for a serious violation of current laws. The charge is reportedly related to a drunk driving accident.
The Blue House spokesperson's office announced through a media notice that "President Lee Jae-myung confirmed that the Korea Forest Service Administrator caused public controversy by violating serious current laws and took action to dismiss him."
The office added, "Going forward, the Lee Jae-myung administration will strictly handle violations of law by high-ranking officials in each ministry to establish discipline in the public service and realize administration that meets public expectations."
Kim's dismissal was reportedly due to drunk driving. The Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province filed criminal charges against Kim on Tuesday for violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving). Kim is accused of driving his own vehicle while intoxicated near Singi Intersection in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, the previous day and consecutively rear-ending two vehicles, including a bus and a passenger car.
Kim, the 36th Korea Forest Service Administrator, began his term in August last year after the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration and is stepping down after just six months. He was also a controversial figure after it was revealed that he had "self-nominated" himself on the "Public Nomination System" website, which the Lee Jae-myung government established to directly receive recommendations for high-ranking public officials from citizens.