Another Drunk Driving Incident Following 'Eulwangri Drinking Accident'... Intoxicated Car Drives Backwards in Incheon, 20s Delivery Worker Suffers Leg Amputation
One Year Since Yoon Chang-ho Law Enforcement... Drunk Driving Increasing Again
Experts Say "Punishments and Related Policies Must Be Strengthened to Advanced Country Levels"
Following the drunk driving accident in Eulwangri, another incident occurred in Incheon where a delivery worker was seriously injured by a drunk driving vehicle. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Recently, following the national outrage over the death of a man in his 50s who ran a chicken restaurant in the 'Eulwangri drunk driving accident,' another incident occurred where a man in his 20s, a motorcycle delivery worker, lost one leg after being hit by a drunk driver. This has led to increasing calls for tougher penalties on drunk driving. Consequently, questions have arisen about whether the so-called 'Yoon Chang-ho Act,' which strengthened punishments to prevent drunk driving, is effective.
On the 11th, the Incheon Western Police Station announced that they had arrested and were investigating A (38) on charges including injury caused by dangerous driving under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and hit-and-run injury.
A is accused of driving a Sonata passenger car under the influence of alcohol at around 4:25 a.m. on a four-lane one-way road in Wonchang-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, crossing the center line and colliding with B (23), who was riding a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction.
After causing the accident, A fled about 150 meters. The vehicle's tire then malfunctioned, causing it to stop. A was arrested on the spot by police who responded to a nearby pedestrian's report. At the time of arrest, A's blood alcohol concentration was 0.171%, which is above the license cancellation threshold.
As a result of the accident, victim B suffered severe injuries, including the amputation of the left leg, and was transferred to a hospital for surgery.
The police decided to apply the so-called 'Yoon Chang-ho Act,' which strengthens penalties for drunk driving accidents, to A. They plan to decide whether to request an arrest warrant after further investigation.
Previously, a man in his 50s who went out to deliver chicken late at night died after being hit by a drunk driver while riding a motorcycle on a road in Eulwang-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon, sparking national outrage. The Mercedes-Benz vehicle driven by C crossed the center line, and his blood alcohol concentration was 0.194%, well above the license cancellation level.
The victim's family petitioned the Blue House demanding severe punishment for the perpetrator, gathering over 600,000 signatures. Regarding this petition, Deputy Commissioner Song Min-heon of the National Police Agency stated, "We plan to establish a continuous crackdown system on drunk drivers, strengthen disqualification periods for license acquisition to prevent recidivism, improve safety education, and introduce drunk driving prevention devices."
The Yoon Chang-ho Act, which strengthens drunk driving penalties under the Road Traffic Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, was promoted following the death of Yoon Chang-ho (then 22 years old) in a drunk driving accident in 2018 and has been in effect since last year.
According to the act, if a drunk driving accident results in death, the statutory penalty has increased from the current "imprisonment for one year or more" to "imprisonment for three years or more or life imprisonment." When causing injury, the penalty has been strengthened from "imprisonment for up to 10 years or a fine between 5 million and 30 million won" to "imprisonment for one to 15 years or a fine between 10 million and 30 million won."
Drunk driving, which had declined last year due to the enforcement of the 'Yoon Chang-ho Act,' has been increasing again this year. Photo by Yonhap News
While the act has raised awareness about drunk driving, some drivers continue to repeatedly commit drunk driving offenses, which remains problematic.
According to a survey, despite the strengthened law, drunk driving traffic accidents have been increasing.
According to the Samsung Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute affiliated with Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, from January to August this year, 4,627 drunk driving traffic accidents were reported to Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance's automobile insurance, exceeding last year's total of 3,787 accidents.
The proportion of drunk drivers among all license cancellations was also significant. Of the 130,654 licenses canceled over eight months, 59,102 (45.2%) were due to drunk driving.
As a result, some voices call for effective countermeasures. Despite tougher penalties to prevent drunk driving accidents, the problem persists.
Other countries already maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward drunk driving. Singapore imposes severe punishments, including immediate arrest at the scene and public disclosure of personal information such as face and name in the media.
The United States has various drunk driving penalty policies by state. If the blood alcohol concentration exceeds a high threshold (0.15?0.20%), penalties include imprisonment, fines, and extended education hours. Additionally, repeat offenders must install ignition interlock devices that prevent the vehicle from starting when intoxicated. States like Ohio and Minnesota also operate systems that distinguish drunk drivers' license plates by color and design from standard plates.
Experts point out that South Korea's penalties for drunk drivers are relatively lenient compared to advanced countries. Professor Son Aeri of the Department of Health Management at Sahmyook University recently stated in a presentation titled "Global Alcohol Policy Trends and WHO SAFER Strategy," "South Korea's blood alcohol concentration standard for drunk driving enforcement is similar to other countries, but the penalty regulations are very weak." She further recommended, "Policies related to punishment should be strengthened to the level of advanced countries" to eradicate drunk driving.
There is also an opinion that management of habitual drunk drivers is necessary to prevent recurrence. The Samsung Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute, which analyzed drunk driving traffic accident statistics, emphasized, "Unlike other traffic accident causes, drunk driving is addictive, so short-term punishment alone cannot solve the problem," and suggested, "It is necessary to consider mandatory psychological treatment or ignition interlock device installation for habitual drunk drivers."
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