Celebrities Also Caught in Repeated Drunk Driving... "Weakened Crackdown Due to Corona? Misconception!"

Police Continue Random Drunk Driving Checks
"Drunk Driving, a Heinous Crime That Takes Lives"

On the night of the 25th, police were conducting a drunk driving crackdown at the entrance ramp to the Busan direction of Seocho IC in Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Drunk driving, often referred to as a 'potentially lethal act,' continues to be rampant as celebrities and athletes repeatedly face controversies over drunk driving. Despite the spread of false information claiming that the police have been lax in cracking down on drunk driving amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the police are actively conducting frequent drunk driving checks using tools such as 'contactless detectors.' It is a time when heightened awareness to eradicate drunk driving is necessary to protect the lives of our families and neighbors.

Repeated Celebrity Drunk Driving... Increase in Drunk Driving Traffic Accidents

The most recent celebrity drunk driving incident involved singer and actress Lizzy (29, real name Park Soo-young), formerly of the girl group After School, who was involved in a drunk rear-end collision. On the evening of the 18th of this month, around 10:12 PM, Lizzy is accused of rear-ending a taxi near the intersection at the southern end of Yeongdong Bridge in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Her blood alcohol concentration at the time was at the license cancellation level. Through her agency, Lizzy apologized, stating, "I deeply regret my inexcusable wrong behavior and take full responsibility."

Last month, an active professional basketball player was also involved in a rear-end collision while driving under the influence. Kim Jin-young (23) of Seoul Samsung was booked by the police on charges of hitting a vehicle in the adjacent lane while changing lanes with his car in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, on the 7th of last month, and subsequently rear-ending vehicles waiting at a traffic signal. It was reported that his blood alcohol concentration at the time was at the license cancellation level. Kim Jin-young received severe disciplinary actions from the KBL, including a 27-game suspension, a fine of 7 million KRW, and 120 hours of community service.

Although the so-called 'Yoon Chang-ho Act,' which strengthens penalties for drunk driving, is approaching its two-year anniversary since its implementation in June 2019, drunk driving continues among both celebrities and the general public. Especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, a false perception that "the police are not cracking down on drunk driving" has spread, reversing the previous downward trend in drunk driving accidents. Nationwide drunk driving traffic accidents decreased by nearly 20% from 19,381 cases in 2018 to 15,708 cases in 2019, but increased by 9.8% to 17,247 cases last year when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Not Cracking Down Due to COVID-19?..."False Perception"

Contrary to this false perception, the police have been steadily conducting drunk driving crackdowns. After developing 'contactless detectors' for drunk driving checks last year, the police have expanded their use nationwide. In addition, various drunk driving enforcement methods have been introduced and utilized, including constant monitoring at highway entrances and exits and entertainment districts, 'spot checks' where enforcement locations are frequently changed, morning crackdowns on 'hangover driving,' and the installation of 'S-shaped courses' at enforcement points.

Thanks to these efforts, the police detected a total of 117,574 drunk driving cases last year despite the COVID-19 situation. Among these, 30,715 cases were at the license suspension level (blood alcohol concentration between 0.03% and less than 0.08%), and 86,834 cases were at the license cancellation level (blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher).

Police enforcement continues frequently this year as well. For example, during a joint drunk driving crackdown conducted on the night of March 25 at 76 highway entrance and exit points in the Seoul metropolitan area, 57 drunk drivers were caught. Notably, 41 of them (71.9%) had blood alcohol concentrations at the license cancellation level (0.08% or higher). On the afternoon of the 13th of this month, 12 drunk drivers were caught during a two-hour drunk driving crackdown on major highways in northern Gyeonggi Province.

The police plan to continue themed crackdowns such as joint drunk driving enforcement by region, analyzing traffic accident risk factors including drunk driving accident and enforcement statistics. They will also conduct constant day and night drunk driving enforcement in areas where drunk driving is a concern. A police official emphasized, "Drunk driving is a serious disease and a heinous crime that takes the lives of others, as well as an unforgivable act that completely destroys the peaceful daily lives of the families involved. We urge all drivers to recognize this and participate in safe driving."

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