"Can't Hear Daughter's Voice Anymore" Taiwanese Couple Who Lost Child to Korean Drunk Driving Files Cheong Petition

"Drunk Driving, a Pre-Meditated Murder Act... Urging Strong Punishment"

National petition related to Zeng Yilin (曾以琳), who died in a drunk driving accident. Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Social outrage is rising after the news broke that a Taiwanese female student studying in Korea was killed after being hit by a drunk-driving vehicle. The student's parents expressed their grief, saying, "We can no longer hear our daughter's voice," and urged for stricter penalties on drunk driving in Korea.

According to Taiwan's United Daily News and others on the 25th (local time), Jeong Qinghui (曾慶暉), the father of the deceased student Jeong Yilin (曾以琳, 28), only learned after arriving in Korea that his daughter had died due to a drunk driver running a traffic signal.

Jeong Yilin, who was pursuing a doctoral program in theology in Korea, was hit by a drunk driver's vehicle at a crosswalk on her way home after meeting a professor in Seoul on the 6th. She was rushed to the hospital but ultimately passed away.

After cremating their daughter's body and returning to Taiwan, the Jeong couple told local media, "The selfish criminal took away not only our daughter's life but also our hope," adding, "We can no longer hear our daughter's beautiful voice."

They also appealed for support, saying, "Through our daughter's Korean friends, we have posted a petition on the Blue House National Petition Board," urging people to agree to the petition.

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Asia Economy DB

In this regard, the petition titled 'A 28-year-old young person died in an accident caused by a drunk driver while crossing a crosswalk' posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 24th had received over 63,600 endorsements as of 8:30 PM on the 25th.

The petitioner, who identified themselves as a friend of Jeong Yilin, began, "On the evening of November 6, 2020, a 28-year-old young and promising person was crossing the street at the green light of a crosswalk when they were hit by a drunk driver's vehicle and died instantly without any chance to react."

They recalled, "She was my close friend and neighbor, a foreign friend who had been in Korea for nearly five years, and a student who studied and worked hard for her dreams more than anyone else."

They continued, "That friend was struck by a heavily intoxicated drunk driver's vehicle, forcibly deprived of countless opportunities and dreams that any young person could have enjoyed, and left for a place from which she will never return. Due to the COVID-19 situation, her parents, who could only come to Korea briefly, were told, 'Although the story is tragic, because the perpetrator was in a 'drunk' state when the accident occurred, the punishment could actually be reduced.'"

The petitioner emphasized, "Drunk driving accidents are not something that can only happen to this friend. Regardless of nationality, age, or gender, it can happen to my family or friends at any moment. Drunk driving is a premeditated act of murder and requires much stronger punishment than other crimes."

Finally, they said, "My friend who has already gone to heaven cannot come back, but I only hope that no precious lives will be lost in the horrific drunk driving accidents that may happen in the future," and urged, "I call for stronger penalties for crimes related to drunk driving."