Drunk Driver Who Threatened to Sell Car Receives Sixth Prison Sentence

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] A man in his 30s who was punished five times for drunk driving and got behind the wheel again after drinking has been sentenced to one year in prison. He had sold his vehicle with the determination not to drive under the influence when he was previously on trial for drunk driving, but he did not keep his promise.

On the 22nd, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kim Cheongmi) overturned the original sentence of a 20 million won fine and sentenced A (37) to one year in prison on charges of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act.

A was tried for driving about 20 km from the Wonju area to the Chuncheon-bound road on the Jungang Expressway on April 19 last year with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.093%. A had a history of being punished five times for drunk driving from 2010 to 2016.

The first trial resulted only in a fine. Considering that A expressed his intention not to reoffend by disposing of the vehicle used in the crime, a fine was imposed.

However, the appellate court took a strict stance. The court pointed out, "In 2016, he was tried for drunk driving and sold his vehicle with the determination not to drive under the influence, but he reoffended shortly after serving a prison sentence following the trial." It added, "In light of this, the fact that he disposed of the vehicle cannot be considered a significantly favorable circumstance for the defendant," and "Considering various factors, the original sentence is too lenient and deemed inappropriate."

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