50s on Probation for Dragging Drunk Driving Police Officer Tied to Motorcycle

Police conducting a sobriety checkpoint. The photo is unrelated to the content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A man in his 50s who dragged a police officer, who was conducting a drunk driving crackdown, while tied to his motorcycle and caused injury has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.

According to the legal community on the 2nd, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 31 (Chief Judge Seongpil Cho) sentenced A (52), who was indicted on charges including obstruction of official duties causing injury, to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year suspension. The court pointed out, "This crime infringed upon the legitimate exercise of public authority, caused injury to a police officer, and even after being caught, refused the breathalyzer test without justifiable reason, showing a bad nature and criminality." However, the court explained the sentencing reason by considering that "the injured police officer does not wish to punish the defendant, and that the defendant has no prior record exceeding a fine within the past 10 years."

Earlier, A is accused of dragging a police officer conducting a drunk driving crackdown by tying him to his motorcycle and driving on a road in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, at around 9:14 p.m. on November 11 last year, causing injury. When the police officer tried to stop A by grabbing the side mirror as A resisted the drunk driving check and attempted to flee, the accident occurred. It was confirmed that the police officer sustained injuries with his leg scraped against the road surface, causing skin to peel off. A is also charged with refusing the breathalyzer test conducted immediately after his arrest (refusal of breathalyzer test under the Road Traffic Act). At that time, the police reportedly requested the breathalyzer test three times as A’s face was red and smelled of alcohol, but A refused all requests.