"Sibling Left on New Year's Day, but the Perpetrator..." Drunk Hit-and-Run Severe Punishment Demanded in Blue House Petition

[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] The family of a woman in her 20s who was hit and killed by a hit-and-run drunk driving vehicle on New Year's Day has posted a national petition demanding "severe punishment for drunk drivers."

On the 7th, a post titled "My beloved younger sibling died in a hit-and-run drunk driving accident on January 1st. We demand strong punishment for the drunk driver" was uploaded on the Blue House national petition board.

The petitioner said, "On the day everyone was starting a hopeful new year, my younger sibling closed their eyes without even holding the hands of family members," adding, "Drunk driving killed not just one person but an entire family."

They continued, "My sibling was excited day by day, planning the interior for a store they were about to take over to pursue a long-held dream, eagerly counting down to the opening," and lamented, "Were the happy days a mistake? A 27-year-old youth full of dreams left for a place from which they will never return because of drunk driving."

The petitioner claimed, "Even though the Yoon Chang-ho Act was enacted, drunk driving has not decreased because it lacks effectiveness. Sentences range from as short as 3 years to life imprisonment, but life imprisonment has never been confirmed."

They added, "On top of that, is it reasonable that sentences are reduced because of victim settlements, being a first offender, a few insincere apology letters, or reductions through academic, regional, or financial connections? My sibling left for a place where I cannot see them even if I want to, so there should be no cases where someone serves only a few years and then lives happily laughing," raising their voice.

Finally, they appealed, "How long must people living happy lives suffer irreversible accidents due to drunk driving? I cannot understand why the perpetrator is still comfortably lying in a hospital. Please comfort my sibling's injustice with severe punishment."

As of 5 p.m., the petition had gained the support of over 33,000 people.

[Image source = Screenshot from Cheongwadae National Petition Board]

Earlier, around 10:05 p.m. on the 1st, at an intersection in Suwan-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, a 28-year-old office worker A, driving a Sorento vehicle, collided with a parked taxi.

A did not provide any aid at the accident scene and fled, driving about 1 km. At another intersection, A crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Pride passenger car waiting at a signal on the opposite side.

The collision caused the passenger car to be pushed backward, leading to a chain accident involving subsequent vehicles. The passenger car driver B (27) was seriously injured and transported to a hospital but died.

Police investigation revealed that A was driving with a blood alcohol level that would result in license cancellation.

The police stated that A was also seriously injured and receiving treatment at a hospital, and that once treatment is completed, A will be criminally charged and the circumstances of the accident will be investigated.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.