Police Conduct Intensive Crackdown on Drunk Driving and Traffic Violations in Front of Schools in Seoul

19 Cases of Drunk Driving and 179 Traffic Violations Detected Last Month

The police have launched a focused crackdown on traffic violations such as drunk driving near elementary schools in Seoul.

Police have launched a special crackdown on drunk driving in school zones around schools to mark the new semester. On the afternoon of the 12th, police conducted a sobriety checkpoint near an elementary school in Sangam-dong, Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

On the 9th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that 31 police stations across Seoul are conducting intensive crackdowns on drunk driving, failure to stop at crosswalks, and other violations in child protection zones near elementary schools during school commute hours.

As a result of the focused crackdown, 19 cases of drunk driving and 179 cases of traffic violations such as signal violations were detected within child protection zones last month alone.

According to the police, traffic accidents in child protection zones numbered 98 last year, showing an increasing trend annually following 77 cases in 2022 and 82 cases in 2023.

A police official stated, "Recently, drunk driving has been increasing in child protection zones during school commute hours," adding, "Children are short and may suddenly run out, and the risk of accidents is higher when judgment is impaired due to hangovers."

The police plan to respond strictly through indefinite crackdowns on drunk driving and signal violations within child protection zones. They also plan to conduct educational and promotional activities for child traffic safety, such as traffic safety campaigns in front of schools.