Official dies while probing China crash

A senior South Korean official was found dead Sunday in the northeastern Chinese city of Jian while he was handling affairs surrounding a deadly bus crash that killed 10 Koreans, the government said.

Choi Doo-yeong, the president of the Local Government Officials’ Development Institute, was found dead on the ground outside a hotel. He seemed to have fallen from his fourth-floor hotel room, but the reason for it had not been confirmed, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs said. 

Choi left for China on Thursday to handle the aftermath of the bus crash that killed 10 Korean nationals and injured 16, with eight in critical condition. Of the victims, nine were Korean public servants who were taking part in the LGODI’s training program. More than 140 Korean civil servants were visiting Jian as part of a five-day work training program hosted by the institution.

The 55-year-old was reportedly under pressure over the tragic deaths, sources said, adding that he had struggled with mediating between the bereaved families who wished to bring the bodies of their loved ones home and the Chinese government, which advised cremation in line with Chinese custom.

While no suicide note was discovered, the Chinese police found a paper on which Choi attempted to write something in his hotel room, a government official said. No specific message had been written, the official added.

The Chinese authorities said no signs of murder had been found, with the investigation into the death still underway.

Choi was appointed the LDODI president in January after working in the senior position in the Gangwon provincial government and in the Government Administration Ministry for over 30 years.

The LDODI, founded in 1965, has served as a top education system for raising top public servants in municipalities. The institute is an affiliated organization under the Government Administration Ministry.

Of the wounded, those in critical condition will stay in China until they fully recover, the ministry said. Other public servants who participated in the field trip safely returned to Seoul on Saturday.

The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation but it is suspected that the driver was speeding before the bus ran over the side of the bridge, the authorities said.

The bodies of the victims will return home as early as Monday, they said. Choi’s body will arrive separately later this week, they added. 

By Lee Hyun-jeong
(rene@heraldcorp.com)