The first trial of the driver of the accident at City Hall Station...Let's continue with the argument for sudden acceleration.

[Anchor]
Last July, the first trial of a driver of a reverse driving accident at Seoul City Hall Station, which caused 14 casualties, was held.

The driver continued to claim a sudden acceleration, saying that the vehicle accelerated quickly even though the accelerator pedal was not pressed.

Reporter Kim Da-hyun reports.

[Reporter]
A man in his 60s, identified only by his surname Cha, drove out of the underground parking lot of a hotel near City Hall Station in Seoul last July night.

However, Mr. Cha's vehicle broke the speed limit and started reverse driving and immediately rushed to the sidewalk.

Nine people, including an employee of a financial company, were killed and five others were injured in the sudden accident.

[Mr. Cha / Driver of reverse driving accident at City Hall Station (last July): What is the basis for claiming that it was a sudden acceleration accident?] I'm sorry. I'm very sorry for the deceased and their bereaved families.

Cha, a former bus driver, insisted on "sudden acceleration" throughout the investigation phase, and continued this argument in the first trial.

Even though he didn't press the accelerator pedal, the vehicle quickly accelerated and the brake didn't work.

He also argued that even if no action was taken, such as honking a horn during reverse driving, it was not the driver's fault as the vehicle itself was defective.

However, the prosecution says that the car did not suddenly accelerate as a result of forensics work on the accident vehicle, but that the accident occurred because the car stepped on the wrong accelerator pedal.

As the prosecution and Cha contend with the charges, the trial is expected to proceed in a way that confirms the exact facts through witness questioning and fact-finding in the future.

The prosecution first applied for witnesses such as employees of the National Forensic Service and employees of the accident vehicle company, and the court plans to examine the credibility of both claims through a witness examination on the 13th of next month.

I'm YTN's Kim Dahyun.

Reporter for shooting
: Choi Sung-hoon
Video editing: Choi Yeon-ho
Design: Lee Won-hee