Police Conduct Search and Seizure at Korean Medicine Clinic Treating Taxi Driver in 'Moon Dahye Drunk Driving Accident' Case

Execution of Search Warrant on the 23rd
Seizure of Injury Medical Certificate and Related Documents
Possibility of Applying Charges for Dangerous Driving Causing Injury

Moon Da-hye, the daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, who caused a drunk driving accident, appeared at the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul on the 18th, 13 days after the accident. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

The police investigating the drunk driving incident involving Moon Dahye (41), daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, conducted a search and seizure at the Korean medicine clinic where the victim received treatment.

According to Yonhap News on the 25th, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul executed a search warrant on the 23rd at Clinic A in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, securing related documents including the injury diagnosis report of the victim taxi driver, Mr. B. According to Article 21 of the Medical Service Act, investigative agencies must present a warrant to review another person's medical records. The police's search of this clinic is interpreted as an effort to determine the final charges to be applied to Ms. Moon.

Previously, Mr. B underwent police questioning after the accident but did not submit an injury diagnosis report to the police. He stated that he had received an apology from Ms. Moon's side and completed a settlement. Since the victim, Mr. B, did not claim injury, Ms. Moon was likely to be punished only for drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act. However, with the police's search of the Korean medicine clinic, there is a possibility that a more severe charge under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes for Dangerous Driving Causing Injury may be applied. Typically, simple drunk driving cases are prosecuted by summary indictment and result in fines, but if injury charges are involved, prosecution can proceed regardless of victim settlement and the case is referred to a formal trial.

Earlier, on the 5th at around 2:51 a.m., Ms. Moon was driving her Casper vehicle in front of the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, when she changed lanes without using the turn signal and collided with a taxi following behind. Her blood alcohol concentration at the time was 0.149%, exceeding the license cancellation level (0.08%), and it was confirmed that there were no passengers in the vehicle. Ms. Moon appeared at the Yongsan Police Station on the 18th, 13 days after the accident, was questioned for about four hours, and then released. It is reported that she recently delivered a handwritten letter to Mr. B expressing, "I was not in a state to apologize at the time of the accident. I am truly sorry."