South Korean President's Office Dismisses Korea Forest Service Chief Over 'Unlawful' Act

(MENAFN- IANS) Seoul, Feb 21 (IANS) South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung has dismissed the Minister of the Korea Forest Service, Kim In-ho, after he was found to have committed an unlawful act, Lee's office said Saturday, without further elaborating.

"We have found that the minister of the Korea Forest Service caused trouble by committing a serious violation of existing laws, and decided to dismiss him from the post," Lee's office said.

The presidential office did not elaborate on what specific law Kim violated, but warned it would react sternly to any violations of law by high-ranking officials going forward, reports Yonhap news agency.

Later in the day, police confirmed they had booked Kim on charges of driving under the influence.

Kim is accused of subsequently ramming into a bus and a car while drunk driving at an intersection in the Bundang district of Seongnam at around 10:50 p.m. on Monday, according to the Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul.

The ex-minister reportedly ignored traffic lights before he collided with the vehicles. No injuries were reported, while Kim's blood alcohol concentration was found to be at a level warranting a license suspension, according to police.

"We plan to investigate the exact details of the incident once we coordinate when to summon the suspect," the police said.

A former environment professor, Kim was nominated to the position in August after serving as the vice chair of the ruling Democratic Party's policy committee.

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