Strengthened Disciplinary Standards for Prosecutors and Investigators' Drunk Driving... Even First Offenders Face Dismissal for Refusal to Test or BAC Over 0.2%

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[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Disciplinary standards have been strengthened to allow dismissal even for prosecutors or investigators who are first caught driving under the influence if they refuse a breathalyzer test or have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.2% or higher.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced on the 20th that it has revised the "Guidelines for Handling Crimes and Misconduct of Prosecutorial Officials" and will implement the changes starting today.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated that it established new sentencing standards for "first-time offenders driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.2% or higher" and "first-time offenders refusing breathalyzer tests," reflecting the DUI sentencing standards revised in the "Enforcement Rules of the Disciplinary Regulations for Public Officials" last December.

The previous guidelines stipulated that for first-time DUI offenders, disciplinary actions such as salary reduction or suspension could be imposed if the blood alcohol concentration was below 0.08%, and suspension or dismissal could be imposed if the blood alcohol concentration was between 0.08% and 0.2%.

Through this revision, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office introduced a provision allowing suspension or dismissal for prosecutorial officials who are first-time DUI offenders with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.2% or higher, or who refuse breathalyzer tests.

A representative from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office stated, "Until now, the disciplinary standards of the 'Enforcement Rules of the Disciplinary Regulations for Public Officials' applied to prosecutorial officials as well, but this revision clarifies the disciplinary standards for DUI offenses among prosecutorial officials."

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