Drunk Driving Incident Involving 30s Man, Bites Police Officer and Causes Disturbance... Later Tears Lead to Court Imprisonment

Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Sentences to 1 Year Imprisonment
Insulted Police Officer and Bit Thigh

A man in his 30s who caused a traffic accident while driving under the influence, insulted police officers, and then caused a disturbance and assaulted several officers at the police station and detention center, later tearfully pleaded for leniency but was sentenced to prison.

On the 16th, Yonhap News reported that the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 3 (Judge Hwang Hae-cheol) sentenced A (33) to one year in prison and ordered his immediate detention. A was indicted on charges of injury, obstruction of official duties, and violation of the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving). On December 17 last year, at around 1:27 a.m., he drove a Mercedes-Benz passenger car while intoxicated for about 900 meters from a parking lot to the road in Wonju, Gangwon Province, and caused a traffic accident. During the accident investigation, it was revealed that he was driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.084%, which is above the license cancellation threshold, leading to his prosecution.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. It shows police conducting a drunk driving checkpoint. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

At the time, after the accident, when police officers who responded to the 112 call conducted a breathalyzer test and found his blood alcohol level to be above the license cancellation limit, A demanded a blood test and began causing a disturbance while being transported to the hospital. He is also charged with lying down in the vehicle at the police station and grabbing a police officer by the collar to assault him. Due to this disturbance, A was arrested on the spot for obstruction of official duties. Around 4:05 a.m. the same day, he caused further trouble during the process of being admitted to the detention center within the police station. He slapped a police officer with one free hand, kicked an officer trying to move him to a protective detention room, and bit the officer’s thigh, causing injuries that required about 21 days of treatment. These charges were added to the indictment.

The first trial court pointed out, "Considering that the defendant not only verbally abused and insulted the police officers who were managing the accident caused by his drunk driving but also assaulted them after being arrested while losing self-control, severe punishment is inevitable." Regarding the sentencing, the court explained, "However, the defendant has shown remorse for his wrongdoing, and his family and acquaintances have petitioned for leniency," adding, "We also took into account that he deposited a total of 5 million won as compensation to the injured police officers." Immediately after the sentencing, A was detained in court. He tearfully pleaded for leniency, saying, "I had been hired at the job I wanted," but it was too late to reverse the decision. A has appealed the first trial verdict.