Prosecution Indicts Suspect Without Detention in 3-Year-Old Drunk Driving Case After Supplementary Investigation

Case Not Forwarded by Police
Prosecution Requests Reinvestigation and Files Charges

The prosecution has conducted a supplementary investigation into a drunk driving case that was not forwarded for prosecution three years ago and, on December 31, referred the suspect to trial without detention.

The Human Rights Protection Division of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, led by Chief Prosecutor Kim Jongpil, announced that on December 30, it indicted Mr. A without detention on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving).

Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Kim Daehyun kdh@

Mr. A is accused of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.206% and crashing into a building on July 9, 2022. During the police investigation, Mr. A claimed that he accidentally pressed the accelerator while searching for his house key inside the vehicle. At the time, the police accepted this explanation and decided not to refer the case to the prosecution.

After taking over the case more than three years later, the prosecution reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing the suspect driving the vehicle while heavily intoxicated and requested a reinvestigation by the police, after which the case was resubmitted.

A prosecution official stated, "We will continue to faithfully perform our core work of thorough judicial oversight and uncovering the substantive truth in criminal cases."

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