A man in his 60s, Mr. A, who is accused of hitting and killing an elementary school student while driving under the influence in a school zone in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, is being transported by a police vehicle on the afternoon of the 10th to Dunsan Police Station for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing).
A former public official in his 60s has been arrested on charges of driving under the influence in a school zone and fatally hitting an elementary school student after crashing onto the sidewalk.
On the 10th, Yoon Ji-sook, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Daejeon District Court, issued an arrest warrant for Mr. A (66), who is accused of causing death in a child protection zone under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, citing "risk of flight."
Mr. A is accused of driving a passenger car while heavily intoxicated at around 2:21 p.m. on the 8th, crashing over the road curb onto the sidewalk within the school zone near the intersection by Tanbang Middle School in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, fatally hitting 9-year-old Bae Seung-ah, who was walking, and injuring three other elementary school students.
Mr. A told the police that he had a gathering with acquaintances in Yucheon-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, around 12:30 p.m. and drank about half a bottle of soju, but his blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was measured at 0.108%, exceeding the license cancellation standard of 0.08%.
The police applied the so-called "Min-sik Law," enacted in March 2020, to Mr. A, specifically Article 5-13, Clause 1 of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (Aggravated Punishment for Causing Death or Injury to Children in Child Protection Zones).
This regulation stipulates that if a driver violates the duty to drive with care for children's safety within a child protection zone and causes a traffic accident resulting in the death of a child under 13 years old, they shall be subject to aggravated punishment of life imprisonment or imprisonment for three years or more.
In addition, the police have charged Mr. A with reckless driving causing death and violations of the Road Traffic Act (driving under the influence).
When Mr. A appeared in court for the warrant hearing that day, he repeatedly apologized to the bereaved families. In response to reporters' questions asking if he pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, he replied, "I tried to press the brake but it happened that way."
The police are also considering indicting acquaintances who drank with Mr. A on charges of aiding and abetting drunk driving if it is confirmed that they were aware of Mr. A’s intoxicated state while driving but did not stop him.
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