"Death Worse Than a Dog's" Petition for Severe Punishment of 'Drunk Mercedes Man' Who Took the Life of a Mother of Two Children

Mercedes-Benz driver causing fatal accident while drunk driving at 229 km/h sentenced to 4 years in prison
"Yoon Chang-ho Act applied but only 4 years? ... Demand for severe punishment"

A (44), who caused a collision while driving a Mercedes-Benz vehicle under the influence of alcohol, resulting in the death of the driver of the car in front, is entering the Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon City on the afternoon of December 18 last year to undergo a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review).

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Last year, a Mercedes-Benz driver who caused a fatal accident while drunk driving at a speed of 229 km/h was sentenced to four years in prison, and a petition demanding strict punishment for the Mercedes-Benz driver has been posted.

On the 8th, a petition titled "Drunk Driving, Speeding 229 km/h Incheon Bukhang Tunnel Mercedes-Benz Incident" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. As of 9:20 a.m. on the 10th, the petition had received over 3,380 signatures.

The petitioner, presumed to be a bereaved family member of the victim, stated, "On December 16 last year, a Mercedes-Benz drunk driver in the Incheon Bukhang Tunnel sped at 229 km/h in a 100 km/h speed limit zone, causing the death of a victim who had two children aged 12 and 4," and added, "Now, 5 to 6 months later, the perpetrator was sentenced to four years in prison."

The petitioner expressed frustration, saying, "Even though the strengthened Yoon Chang-ho Act was applied to drunk driving, a four-year sentence is less than the death of a dog. Even killing a pet dog results in a three-year sentence, so is it because the perpetrator, who is wealthy and capable, hired a competent lawyer? Despite committing murder by drunk driving and speeding at 229 km/h, he was sentenced to only four years."

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board capture.

He continued, "As long as such lenient punishments exist, murders caused by drunk driving will continue," and said, "The victim’s mother is so unfairly treated and furious that she cries out her grievance before the law and the people today for her daughter buried in her heart."

Furthermore, he urged, "Please apply fair and equitable laws that ordinary citizens can accept," and "Please ensure true severe punishment to prevent further victims from occurring."

Earlier, the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 21 (Presiding Judge Jung Wooyoung) sentenced A (45) to four years in prison on the 2nd in a verdict for charges of causing death by dangerous driving under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act.

The court stated, "The defendant was driving drowsily while intoxicated and exceeded the speed limit of 100 km/h, resulting in the death of the victim," but also explained the sentencing reason by considering "the defendant had comprehensive insurance and deposited 30 million won in trust for the bereaved family."

A is accused of hitting B (then 41 years old, female), who was driving a Matiz, while driving in the second lane toward Gimpo at the Bukhang Tunnel on the 2nd Ring Expressway in Songhyeon-dong, Dong-gu, Incheon, at around 9:10 p.m. on December 16 last year, causing her death.

The Matiz vehicle driven by B caught fire due to the impact of the accident and was extinguished by the fire department after 19 minutes, but B could not escape in time.

At the time of the accident, A was driving the Mercedes-Benz at a maximum speed of 229 km/h, and his blood alcohol concentration was found to be 0.08%, the level for license cancellation.

The police who responded to the report arrested A on the spot. During the police investigation, A reportedly stated, "I had a dinner gathering with acquaintances, but I don’t remember well at the time of the accident," and "I think I was driving drowsily."

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