Incheon District Court Sentences 1 Year Imprisonment
"Attitude Disregarding the Law... Appropriate Punishment Needed"
A man in his 20s with a history of two prior drunk driving convictions was sentenced to prison after causing an accident while driving without a license under the influence of alcohol.
On the 21st, Yonhap News reported that the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 9 (Judge Kang Tae-ho) sentenced A (24), who was indicted without detention on charges of drunk driving and driving without a license under the Road Traffic Act, to one year in prison and ordered his immediate detention in court.
The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Police are conducting a sobriety checkpoint near an elementary school in Sangam-dong, Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@
A was prosecuted for crashing into a parked car on a residential street in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, at around 3:56 a.m. on October 27 last year while driving under the influence. At the time of the accident, his blood alcohol concentration was 0.179%, well above the license cancellation threshold of 0.08%.
Previously, A received a summary order with a fine of 8 million won for drunk driving in February last year, and three months later, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a two-year probation for driving without a license while intoxicated again.
The first trial court pointed out, "The defendant committed another crime shortly after the probation period without showing remorse," and added, "His blood alcohol concentration was also quite high." Regarding the sentencing, the court explained, "Considering the defendant’s criminal record, it shows a disregard for the law," and emphasized, "He must be punished commensurate with his culpability."
Meanwhile, there was also a case where a man in his 30s, who received a suspended prison sentence for drunk driving in the first trial, was sentenced to actual imprisonment after drinking and driving again during the appeal trial. On the 20th, Yonhap News reported that the Jeonju District Court Criminal Division 7 (Judge Han Ji-suk) sentenced B (33), who was indicted for violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk and unlicensed driving), to one year and two months in prison.
B was charged with driving about 2 km in a drunken state on a road in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, at around 7:30 a.m. on September 17 last year. Police responded to a citizen report stating, "A vehicle waiting at a traffic signal is not moving, suspected of drunk driving," and found B asleep inside the car. At that time, his blood alcohol concentration was 0.119%, exceeding the license cancellation level (0.08% or higher).
B was previously fined 3 million won by summary order for drunk driving in 2016 and received a one-year prison sentence with two years probation in April 2023. During the trial, he claimed it was "driving with a hangover," but the court did not accept this, citing the police investigation results.
The court criticized, "The defendant was stopped in the second lane with the window open, sleeping even though the traffic light had turned green," and added, "He committed another offense while undergoing an appeal trial for a previous drunk driving case, raising doubts about his remorse." However, the court considered that "the defendant’s mother disposed of the vehicle used in the crime, and that the defendant has family members who require his financial support and care," explaining these as reasons for sentencing.
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