[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] Mr. A, a man in his 70s who was punished five times for drunk driving, was sentenced to prison again after causing another accident.
On the 17th, the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 2 announced that it sentenced Mr. A, who was tried on charges including violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, to one year in prison.
In this accident, he fled the scene after only giving his business card to the victim, resulting in additional hit-and-run charges.
In May of last year, Mr. A, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.108%, was driving on a road in Ulsan when he changed lanes and collided with the vehicle of victim Mr. B.
As a result of the accident, Mr. B suffered injuries requiring two weeks of medical treatment, and part of his vehicle was damaged. Nevertheless, Mr. A handed only his business card to Mr. B, saying, "It’s my fault, so I will handle it through insurance later," and tried to leave the scene.
Despite Mr. B’s attempts to stop him, Mr. A drove away, and even though Mr. B honked and chased after him, he did not stop. Eventually, Mr. A was caught after about 2 km when blocked by a vehicle belonging to an acquaintance of Mr. B.
The court stated, "The defendant admits only to drunk driving among the charges and claims it was not a hit-and-run, but circumstances show that he fled despite knowing the victim was injured immediately after the accident."
It added, "The defendant has been punished five times for drunk driving and appears to have driven under the influence again during the recidivism period related to other crimes, indicating a very weak sense of law compliance. However, considering his advanced age and poor health condition, the sentence was imposed."
Under current law, a blood alcohol concentration between 0.08% and less than 0.2% can result in license cancellation, imprisonment from one to two years, or a fine between 5 million and 10 million won.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
