Police said Monday that a civilian worker with the Eighth U.S. Army has been charged with violating a drunken driving inspection and injuring a police officer on duty.

The U.S. national contractor, whose name was withheld, is suspected of hitting the police officer while dodging a crackdown on drunken drivers late Sunday in the Seoul district of Yongsan where the Army base is located, according to police.

During questioning, the 31-year-old said he was searching for a hospital to get medication for his heart disease but denied that he was driving the wrong way or hit the police officer.

Police said the results of tests conducted hours after the accident showed that the contractor was sober but added that they could not confirm his state at the time of the accident.

The injured police officer has been hospitalized for an abrasion and an ankle ligament injury, police said. (Yonhap)