Unchanged 'Drunk Driving Recidivism Rate'... "Need for Stricter Punishment"

Recidivism Rate Reached 42.3% Last Year
Most Cases Resulted in Fines or Suspended Sentences Only

Although social awareness of the dangers of drunk driving has recently increased, the recidivism rate has not decreased. Experts point out that this is because most drunk driving cases receive only light punishments.

Police conducting a drunk driving crackdown at the entrance to the Busan-bound lane of the Seocho IC in Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

According to the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Traffic Safety Culture Research Institute on the 9th, the drunk driving recidivism rates were 43.7% in 2019, 45.4% in 2020, 44.5% in 2021, 42.2% in 2022, and 42.3% in 2023.

In reality, punishments for repeat drunk driving offenders are far from gaining public consensus. On the 7th, Judge Kim Saetbyeol of the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 11 sentenced driver A (42) to one year in prison for drunk driving. A had previously been caught drunk driving three times but had only received fines and suspended prison sentences. On the 1st, Judge Lee Seong of the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 1 sentenced a man in his 50s to one year in prison after he was punished five times for drunk driving but caused a traffic accident and fled the scene.

Previously, the “Yoon Chang-ho Act,” which imposed heavier penalties on those caught drunk driving two or more times, was enacted in 2018, but in 2021 the Constitutional Court ruled it unconstitutional, citing excessive punishment. In January 2023, the National Assembly amended the Road Traffic Act to specify punishment provisions for repeat offenders.

According to the current Road Traffic Act, a person who has been sentenced to a fine or higher for drunk driving and commits drunk driving again within 10 years shall be punished with imprisonment of one to six years or a fine of 5 million to 30 million won, depending on blood alcohol concentration.

Experts unanimously called for tougher punishments. Attorney Jeong Gyeong-il of the law firm L&L stated, “Although the sentencing for drunk driving itself has increased, the public still does not accept the actual sentences being handed down.”

Professor Choi Jaewon of the Korea Road Traffic Authority advised, “Starting this October, anyone caught drunk driving twice or more within five years must install a drunk driving prevention device. If the recidivism rate does not decrease with this law, measures such as changing the color of the license plates of drunk drivers’ vehicles, like in Taiwan, will be necessary.”