Mokpo Coast Guard, Year-End and New Year Special Crackdown on Drunk Navigation

Proactive Prevention of Accident Possibility

Mokpo Maritime Police Station (Chief Kwon Oh-seong) will conduct a special maritime crackdown to prevent marine accidents caused by hangovers and drinking, and to eradicate drunk navigation during the year-end and New Year holidays.

According to the Maritime Police on the 13th, this special crackdown will be carried out for 27 days until January 6 of next year, following a one-week promotion and guidance period until the 17th, utilizing electronic display boards, media reports, text messages, SNS, and banner postings.

Mokpo Coast Guard is conducting a breathalyzer test. Photo by Mokpo Coast Guard Station

The crackdown targets all vessels including fishing boats, multi-use vessels (ferries, passenger ships, fishing boats, leisure equipment), and cargo ships. Drunk navigation is defined as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.03% or higher under the Marine Traffic Safety Act. Upon detection, offenders face penalties ranging from a minimum fine of 5 million KRW to imprisonment from more than 2 years up to 5 years, or fines between 20 million KRW and 30 million KRW, depending on the alcohol concentration.

According to Mokpo Maritime Police, there have been 39 cases of drunk navigation detected over the past three years. Notably, among the 17 cases detected last year, 10 cases (59%) occurred before departure. The Maritime Police plan to establish a cooperative system between sea and land, including patrol vessels, police substations, and VTS (Vessel Traffic Service), to proactively prevent potential accidents.

A representative of Mokpo Maritime Police stated, “Drunk navigation at sea is a dangerous criminal act that can lead to large-scale casualties in marine accidents. Therefore, we will continue to promote and enforce the prohibition of drunk navigation to establish maritime traffic order.”

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