"Due to Work Stress..." Drunken Driving Public Official Fined

Allegation of Violation of the Road Traffic Act

A public official who caused a traffic accident while driving under the influence after failing to catch a taxi following a company dinner was sentenced to a fine.

On the 2nd, Lee Soon-hyung, Chief Judge of Criminal Division 5 at the Seoul Western District Court, announced that Yoon Mo (31), who was indicted for violating the Road Traffic Act, was sentenced to a fine of 10 million won.

Yoon was indicted for driving approximately 8.3 km while intoxicated around 2:04 a.m. on February 15 in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and crashing the front bumper into a cleaning truck container.

At the time of the accident, the container owned by a corporation and the road guardrail owned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government were damaged due to the impact, but Yoon abandoned the vehicle without providing aid and fled to a nearby convenience store.

Yoon’s blood alcohol concentration at the time was 0.096%, which is above the license cancellation level (0.08% or higher). He received disciplinary action at his workplace due to this accident.

The court stated, "The defendant caused a chain collision accident and failed to take measures such as aiding the victims, which reflects the severity of the offense," but also considered "the stress related to workforce reduction and the fact that after a company dinner with colleagues, he made a poor judgment to drive himself when taxis were not readily available," as reasons for sentencing.