Kept Accelerating Onto Sidewalk... Woman in Her 30s Booked for Drug-Impaired Driving

Claims She Took Prescribed Sleep Aid
Booked on Drug-Impaired Driving Charges
Forensic Analysis Requested

A well-known female internet broadcaster in her 30s was apprehended by police after causing an accident while driving under the influence of medication.

On January 3, the Gwangjin Police Station in Seoul announced that it had booked a female broadcaster, identified as Ms. A, in her 30s, on charges of drug-impaired driving under the Road Traffic Act, after she crashed her car into a utility pole while under the influence of medication.

Ms. A is accused of driving her car and crashing into a utility pole at around 6:50 p.m. on December 31 on a road in Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu. No casualties were reported as a result of the accident. In the released accident footage, a gray sport utility vehicle (SUV) is seen hitting a road curb, then partially mounting the sidewalk before continuing to move forward. The vehicle struck a bicycle parked by the roadside and continued moving until it finally stopped after colliding with a utility pole.

Ms. A reportedly told police, who responded to a 112 emergency call, that she had taken a prescribed sleeping aid. It was determined that she was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. The police have requested a detailed analysis of the medication Ms. A took from the National Forensic Service and are currently investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.

Meanwhile, incidents involving accidents caused by drivers under the influence of psychotropic drugs or sleeping aids have surged recently. According to the National Police Agency, the number of driver’s licenses revoked due to drug-impaired driving increased from 57 in 2019 to 164 in 2024, and traffic accidents caused by drug-impaired driving rose more than tenfold from 2 cases in 2019 to 23 cases in 2024.

In response to the sharp increase in such incidents, the government strengthened penalties for drug-impaired driving starting April 2 last year. Immediate on-site testing can now be conducted if drug-impaired driving is suspected, and a new offense was established for refusing to comply with drug testing. The penalties for this crime were also raised from up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won, to up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.