"Stricter Accountability for Drunk Driving Crimes" Ahn Cheol-soo's Pledge to Abolish Reduced Sentences for Intoxication

"Leniency in the Same Crime Causes Inequity"

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, is removing his mask to speak at a press conference hosted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 28th of last month. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, proposed on the 4th to completely abolish the intoxication mitigation system that reduces the sentences of offenders who committed crimes while intoxicated. This is based on the judgment that it is unfair to reduce sentences simply because the offender was drunk, despite committing the same crime.

On the same day, Candidate Ahn announced via Facebook that he intends to amend Article 10 of the Criminal Act, which mitigates crimes committed by individuals with mental and physical disabilities caused by intoxication or other reasons.

He explained the purpose by saying, “It is inherently unfair to show leniency just because the offender was intoxicated for the same criminal act,” and added, “Heavier responsibility should be imposed on alcohol-related crimes to encourage caution regarding drinking behavior.” He pointed out that mitigating sentences for alcohol-related crimes is contradictory in a situation where punishments for drunk driving are being strengthened, such as with the enforcement of the ‘Yoon Chang-ho Act.’

Regarding the necessity of abolition, Candidate Ahn emphasized repeatedly, “Although the Supreme Court sentencing guidelines for intoxication crimes have been strengthened since the 2008 Jo Doo-soon case, sentence reductions are still occurring,” and stated, “The abolition of mitigation should be expanded not only to sexual violence crimes but also to all crimes including child abuse, domestic violence, murder, and robbery.”

Candidate Ahn declared that through this, he aims to create a society where citizen safety is prioritized. He said, “A social atmosphere that tries to overlook crimes by saying ‘It can happen when someone is drunk’ causes more crimes,” and added, “If drinking threatens the safety of citizens, it must be dealt with strongly.”

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