"Drunk Driver Drives 13km Wrong Way on Highway, Other Cars Seem to Be Driving Backwards..."

Photo by CCTV footage from the Shindaegu Expressway at the time of the incident

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] A man in his 30s was caught by the police after driving approximately 13 km in the wrong direction on a highway while completely intoxicated, unaware that he was driving against traffic in the middle of the night.

According to the Busan Police Agency Highway Patrol on the 26th, at around 11:29 PM on the 25th, 17 reports were received via 112 emergency calls that a van was entering the Shin-Daegu Expressway in the wrong direction at the Miryang Interchange exit and driving against traffic.

Upon receiving the reports, the police requested a full vehicle entry ban at all nearby interchanges on the highway and asked the Korea Expressway Corporation to monitor the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage in real time to track the wrong-way vehicle’s route.

Additionally, the highway patrol zigzagged patrol cars starting 3 km before the location of the wrong-way vehicle to induce all vehicles at risk of collision with the intoxicated driver to slow down, then controlled the lanes to apprehend the vehicle.

About 10 minutes after the first report, the patrol found the van driving in the wrong direction in lane 1 at the 32.5 km mark heading toward Daegu on the Shin-Daegu Expressway, stopped the vehicle, and arrested the driver, Mr. A, in his 30s. At the time of arrest, Mr. A’s blood alcohol concentration was confirmed to be above 0.08%, a level that results in license cancellation.

According to the police, Mr. A drove approximately 13 km in the wrong direction for about 15 minutes before being caught, facing dozens of near-collision situations with vehicles traveling normally in the opposite direction. Fortunately, no collisions or casualties occurred.

Meanwhile, Mr. A reportedly gave absurd statements such as "I was driving normally, and other cars were driving the wrong way, so I thought it was strange." It was also revealed that Mr. A had previously had his license revoked due to drunk driving. The police have booked Mr. A on charges of drunk driving and wrong-way driving and are investigating the exact circumstances.