Car Hits Pedestrians in Seoul, Killing 9 and Injuring 4

Broken glass and debris lie at the scene of car accident that resulted in several people killed and injured in central Seoul, South Korea July 1, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Broken glass and debris lie at the scene of car accident that resulted in several people killed and injured in central Seoul, South Korea July 1, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
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Car Hits Pedestrians in Seoul, Killing 9 and Injuring 4

Broken glass and debris lie at the scene of car accident that resulted in several people killed and injured in central Seoul, South Korea July 1, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Broken glass and debris lie at the scene of car accident that resulted in several people killed and injured in central Seoul, South Korea July 1, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

A car hit pedestrians waiting at a traffic light in central Seoul on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring four, South Korea's emergency officials said.

The passenger car drove in the wrong direction and collided with two other cars just before hitting the pedestrians, South Korean media reports said.

The reports say the driver in his late 60s spoke of a sudden, unintended acceleration. He was detained, media reported.

Seoul police did not immediately confirm the reports.

Emergency officer Kim Chun-su told a briefing that one of the four injured was in serious condition.



Ukraine's Zelenskiy Expresses Gratitude to New British PM on Wartime Support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (File/DPA)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (File/DPA)
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Ukraine's Zelenskiy Expresses Gratitude to New British PM on Wartime Support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (File/DPA)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (File/DPA)

New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that London would keep providing support for Kyiv in its war against Russia and the Ukrainian leader expressed gratitude for maintaining that stand.

"The prime minister began by setting out that it was important to him to reiterate the UK's unwavering commitment to Ukraine on his first day in office," a spokesperson for Starmer's office said in a statement, Reuters reported.

"He added that the change of government in the UK would make no difference to the UK’s support for Ukraine, and that the UK would continue supplying the defensive support Ukraine needed in the face of Russian aggression."

Zelenskiy, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said he had wished the new prime minister success in fulfilling the expectations of the British people.

"I am grateful to Keir Starmer for his assurances that Britain's support for Ukraine will remain unchanged in principle," Zelenskiy wrote.

He and Starmer, he said, had "coordinated our positions" ahead of next week's NATO summit at which Ukraine hopes to hear of possible steps for Kyiv to secure membership in the alliance.

A senior US official said NATO allies at their summit in Washington would unveil a "bridge to membership" plan for Ukraine and announce steps to bolster Kyiv's air defenses.