“Hid in her car right after the fatal crash?”...Park Shin-young issues first rebuttal in five years, signals legal action

[Financial News] Former announcer Park Shin-young, who was involved in a traffic accident five years ago that killed a motorcycle delivery worker in their 50s, rebutted claims that she hid inside the car right after the accident, saying they were untrue, and announced plans to take legal action.
On the 11th, Park shared on Instagram an article about her actions immediately after the 2021 accident and said, “Claims that I hid without even getting out of my car right after the accident, or that I took no action even though the deceased was trapped under the vehicle, were reported and spread. But those accounts differ from what actually happened at the scene and from my actions.”
Explaining why she had remained silent, she said, “With someone having died, I wondered whether actively explaining myself just because reports about me were inaccurate was really the right thing to do, as a human being, toward the deceased and their family.” She added, “I was afraid that explaining my position might come across as an attempt to evade responsibility for the accident, and, above all, I worried that it might cause the family further pain.”
She went on to lament, “While I remained silent, stories that differed from the facts were repeatedly republished by some YouTube channels and media outlets, and at some point they came to be accepted as fact. I even had to face criticism for things I had not done.”
Park also addressed criticism over the TikTok live broadcasts she recently began. She said, “My smiling doesn’t mean I am not remorseful, and taking on something new doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten the gravity of the accident. I continue to live with a sense of remorse. One of the reasons I’m trying so hard to move forward is that I hope to become someone who can offer the family at least a little practical help someday.”
She continued, “I believe reporting facts about the past accident should be clearly distinguished from linking my current everyday activities to it with sensational language to incite criticism.” She stressed, “Going forward, after legal review, I will respond firmly to reports containing inaccurate information, the spread of false claims, malicious distortion of the facts, and personal attacks that could constitute defamation or insult.”
She added, “Above all, I hope people will consider that each time such reports and controversies recur, the stories of the deceased and the family are brought up again, which could cause them further pain.”
Along with a photo of the tattoo on her finger, Park said, “I will continue to remember the accident that day. As I said in court, I will live with a sense of atonement for the rest of my life.”
In May 2021, Park was driving in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul, when her car collided with a motorcycle. The crash killed a delivery worker in their 50s.
At the time, Park was driving at 102 km/h on a road with a speed limit of 40 km/h, and investigators found that the motorcyclist had entered the intersection against a red light.
In December that year, Park was sentenced to a fine of 15 million won on a charge of causing death in violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter