To a female police officer conducting a breath test, "Why do you look like that?"... A man in his 50s ultimately sentenced to prison

Drunk Driving While Intoxicated with Verbal Abuse and Insults
Chuncheon District Court Sentences 1 Year Imprisonment, 2 Years Probation

A man in his 50s who was caught driving under the influence while heavily intoxicated and verbally abused a female police officer during the breathalyzer test has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.

On the 6th, News1 reported that the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Taek-seong) recently sentenced Mr. A (59), who was indicted for violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving) and other charges, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. Mr. A was also ordered to undergo probation and complete 40 hours of a safe driving course.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. In March, police conducted a drunk driving crackdown near an elementary school in Sangam-dong, Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

On November 13 last year, around 1:20 p.m., Mr. A was caught by police while driving approximately 300 meters from an apartment parking lot on a road in Gangwon Province with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.160%, indicating heavy intoxication. At the time, police officers who responded to a 112 emergency call reporting "a heavily intoxicated person driving a car on the road" requested a breathalyzer test. When a female officer asked Mr. A to sign related documents after the test, he insulted her with abusive language, saying, "You XXX, why does your face look like that?" Mr. A then tried to approach the patrol car, and when another officer tried to stop him, he pushed the officer's shoulder multiple times and threatened to hit him. Mr. A was charged not only with drunk driving but also with obstructing the proper execution of official duties and was brought to trial.

Presiding Judge Kim pointed out, "The defendant has a prior record of similar offenses, and especially considering that he committed an offense obstructing official duties immediately after drunk driving, a strict punishment is necessary." He added, "However, taking into account that the defendant admitted his wrongdoing and showed remorse, and that he has no prior record of punishment exceeding fines, I sentence him to a suspended prison term on the condition of probation and attendance in a driving compliance course."

Meanwhile, there was also a case where a man in his 60s was sentenced to a suspended prison term for driving under the influence and refusing a breathalyzer test despite the police officer being right in front of him.

On the 5th, the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Lee Seong) announced that Mr. B, in his 60s, who was tried for violating the Road Traffic Act, was sentenced to one year in prison with a three-year suspension and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

Mr. B was indicted for driving about 10 meters in a parking lot of a restaurant in Ulsan last November night while intoxicated. At the time, after drinking with colleagues at a company gathering, he had an argument in the parking lot and drove the car despite the police officer arriving at the scene. The officer saw Mr. B driving with a flushed face and staggering, attempted to administer a breathalyzer test, but Mr. B refused three times and fled the scene. It is known that Mr. B had previously been sentenced to prison for refusing a breathalyzer test several years ago.

The court stated, "Refusal to take a breathalyzer test is a crime intended to conceal drunk driving and must be punished severely. However, considering that the driving was apparently to avoid obstructing traffic in the parking lot, this was taken into account."

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