[Forensic Life] The Tragedy of Three Friends That Wouldn't Have Happened Without Excessive Drinking

[Asia Economy] The three were close friends from their middle and high school days in a small provincial town. Among them, Mr. A, who was running a business, was the most well-off and quietly paid the bill whenever they had drinking gatherings without making the other two friends feel awkward. Mr. B borrowed money from the financially comfortable Mr. A after taking early retirement from his job. Mr. A never pressured him about the debt. Mr. B was always grateful to Mr. A. Mr. C had lived the most unfortunate life. After being laid off from a respectable job, he got divorced and lived alone in a goshiwon (small, cheap dormitory). Every year-end, the three would meet without fail, share soju, and comfort each other through the hardships of life.

That day, too, they were drinking soju at their year-end gathering. Mr. C kept drinking without saying a word. He began to lament his fate and criticize the happiness of Mr. A, who was doing well financially. Mr. A drank quietly without saying much, but Mr. B started to get angry at Mr. C’s behavior. "How much has A helped us? Don’t you feel any gratitude?" The conversation grew increasingly heated. Mr. A decided to end the drinking session and went to the cashier. Mr. C followed Mr. A and suddenly punched him in the face. Surprised, Mr. A pushed Mr. C hard. Mr. C staggered and fell backward onto the floor beside the cashier. Mr. B, who was watching, got angry and punched Mr. C’s face several times. Although bystanders separated Mr. B, Mr. C lay still on the floor with a nosebleed. Frightened, Mr. A shook Mr. C, but he only made choking sounds and did not move. The 119 emergency team and police arrived and transported Mr. C to the hospital, but he was already dead.

Mr. C was placed on the autopsy table. The cause of death was easy to identify. It was an epidural hemorrhage caused by the fall and a contrecoup brain contusion on the front of the brain due to the impact on the back of the head. The prosecution initially concluded, based on the restaurant’s CCTV footage, that Mr. B’s punches to the face caused the death, but the subcutaneous hemorrhage on the face caused by Mr. B was not a fatal injury.

If excessive drinking had not occurred, this incident would not have happened. If Mr. C’s parietal lobe and cerebellum functions, which maintain body balance, had not been impaired by excessive alcohol consumption, the accident where the back of his head directly hit the floor from just being pushed would not have occurred, and the friendship among the friends would not have ended in tragedy. According to data from the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), alcohol-related deaths may rank third among all external causes of death.

Alcohol has many positive aspects. It acts as a social lubricant in awkward situations and plays a positive role in socializing. Some studies have shown that moderate drinking reduces the incidence of heart disease. However, excessive drinking not only harms the health of the drinker but also increases the frequency of accidents and incidents, causing social costs.

There is much debate about how much drinking is appropriate, but the World Health Organization defines binge drinking as consuming five or more standard drinks for men and four or more for women. In terms of soju, the recommended amount is up to four glasses for men and three for women. When this is introduced to the public, many say it is unrealistic. This suggests that binge drinking has become normalized in Korea. It is difficult to eliminate alcohol from a hard and tough life. However, there is certainly a reason to find other things to soothe and comfort us besides alcohol. If there is a way for forensic scientists to be a little less busy, it would be the formation of a social atmosphere where people drink appropriately.

Yoo Seong-ho, Forensic Scientist