"If It's the Judge's Daughter" School Zone Drunken Tragedy, Han Moon-cheol Also Choked Up

Traffic Accident Specialist Lawyer Urges Strict Punishment for Perpetrators

A traffic accident specialist who watched the drunk driving accident video in a children's protection zone (school zone) in Daejeon has called for severe punishment for the perpetrators.

On the 11th, the YouTube channel 'Han Moon-cheol TV' posted a CCTV video of the accident at the Daejeon school zone where 9-year-old Bae Seung-ah passed away due to a drunk driving accident, which was delivered through an acquaintance of the bereaved family. The family appealed, "There has been not a single apology from the suspect's side," and "Please widely share this to strengthen the punishment. Please help us."

Lawyer Han Moon-cheol watching CCTV footage of a drunk driving accident scene.
[Photo by Han Moon-cheol TV YouTube capture]

The video shows the perpetrator's vehicle crossing the center line at high speed and rushing toward Bae. A lawyer said, "She was only a 9-year-old elementary school student," and was at a loss for words for a while. Then, the lawyer read a message sent by an acquaintance on behalf of Bae's family.

The acquaintance said, "The child had stopped by a daily goods store and was walking the usual route with friends. Unfortunately, she was hit by a drunk driving vehicle, hit her head against a wall, suffered bruises on her shoulder, was bleeding, and went into cardiac arrest before being transported to the hospital."

They continued, "At the hospital, the child was diagnosed as brain dead and her heart could not beat on its own, so the doctors administered injections about twice the amount for an adult to keep her heart beating," and "The doctor said that since the child was suffering, it might be better to let her go and prepare mentally, but they did not tell Bae's mother separately because she was holding onto hope."

They added, "After some time passed and the situation worsened, we informed Bae's mother and held on with 1% hope," and "When the doctor came and told us to prepare mentally for the last time, it was the saddest cry I have ever heard. The child endured about seven hours of pain after the accident before passing away. There must be no more deaths caused by drunk driving like this."

The lawyer pointed out that although there was a consensus that punishment should be strengthened following the case of soldier Yoon Chang-ho, who was hit and killed by a drunk driver at 2:25 a.m. on September 26, 2018, and the law was strictly revised, the average sentence for drunk driving fatal accidents recently has been only about four years.

The lawyer said, "Even though forgiveness has not been granted and there has been no criminal settlement, the sentence is around four years in prison," and "If we want to eliminate these drunk driving fatal accidents, it cannot be achieved by public petitions alone. I ask the judges in the courts to think just once, 'If it were my daughter,' or 'If my daughter had passed away so unfairly,' would that be possible?"

He added, "How painful and difficult must it have been for (Bae) to endure for seven hours. I pray for the young daughter's soul and offer condolences to the bereaved family, and ask everyone to watch closely how this case will be finally judged."

Former Public Official in His 60s, Drunk Driving... Drove About 7 to 8 km

In the wake of the drunk driving accident in a school zone that resulted in the death of 9-year-old Bae Seung-a, on the morning of the 9th, chrysanthemums, drinks, toys, and letters left by citizens to commemorate Bae were placed at the accident site in Dunsan-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The former 60-year-old public official A (66), who hit and killed Bae that day, was arrested on the spot by police who responded to a citizen's report.

According to the police investigation, he was driving in a state of severe intoxication for about 7 to 8 km up to the accident site. His blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was 0.108%, exceeding the license cancellation standard (0.08%).

It is known that he had no prior drunk driving offenses. The police are also considering indicting acquaintances who drank with A on charges of aiding and abetting drunk driving.

In the police investigation, A stated, "Around 12:30 p.m., I had a gathering with acquaintances in Yucheon-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, and drank about half a bottle of soju." When he appeared in court for the warrant hearing that day, he repeatedly said, "I am sorry to the bereaved family," and claimed, "I tried to brake but it happened."

The Daejeon District Court conducted a pre-trial detention hearing and issued an arrest warrant. A is also subject to the 'Minsik-i Act' (Revised Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes), which has been in effect since March 2020. The Minsik-i Act was introduced after Kim Minsik, who was the same age as Bae, was hit and killed by a car in a children's protection zone in Asan, Chungnam, in September 2019. The act stipulates that if a child dies due to driver negligence in a school zone, the driver can be sentenced to life imprisonment or imprisonment for three years or more.

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