Unlicensed Drunk Driving Man in His 50s Found to Have Been Declared Dead 13 Years Ago

Police Plan to Investigate Circumstances Surrounding Death Handling

A driver caught by the police while driving under the influence was confirmed to be a man in his 50s who had been declared deceased 13 years ago.

The Paju Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 22nd that they have arrested and are investigating a man in his 50s, identified as Mr. A, on charges of drunk driving and driving without a license under the Road Traffic Act.

Mr. A was caught by the police on the afternoon of the 19th at around 4:10 PM on a road in Jori-eup, Paju City, after violating traffic laws such as crossing the center line.

When the police asked for his personal information to verify his identity, Mr. A provided a non-existent resident registration number or gave false personal details. Unable to confirm his identity, the police conducted a breathalyzer test and arrested him on the spot as a suspect.

The photo is unrelated to the article content. [Image source=Yonhap News]

At the time of arrest, Mr. A's blood alcohol concentration was above 0.08%, the level for license cancellation.

Subsequent identity verification revealed that Mr. A's resident registration had been deleted due to death in 2011. If a family reports a person missing and they are not found or contacted for five years, their registration is deleted due to death. Mr. A stated that he was unaware that he had been declared deceased and had been living without knowing this.

A police official said, "We plan to guide Mr. A on renewing his resident registration card and investigate the circumstances surrounding the death declaration."