"Last night, did I drink about three bottles?"

"And then I went in, slept for about 8 hours, and came out."

At around 8:48 a.m. on March 4th, in front of Singa Elementary School in Songpa-gu, Seoul, police conducted a sobriety checkpoint on a four-lane road. As the breathalyzer emitted a 'beep' and its red light flashed amid the morning rush hour traffic, the face of Mr. Kang (31), who was sitting in the driver's seat, turned pale. Having had drinks with friends the previous night, he was caught in the trap of "driving under the influence of a hangover." Protesting with a frustrated look, Mr. Kang said, "When I woke up this morning, I thought I was perfectly fine to drive."

However, his blood alcohol concentration measured 0.034%, a level that warrants a license suspension. He said, "For the first time, I realized that if you're not fully rested, the alcohol can still remain in your system," adding, "I am really bewildered."

On the morning of the 4th, traffic police from the Songpa Police Station in Seoul were checking drivers for alcohol consumption in front of Singa Elementary School in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jaehyun Park

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Just 10 minutes later, around 9 a.m., the alarm sounded again from the vehicle of Mr. Hwang (37). He also insisted that he had enjoyed a light drink during lunch the previous day and then slept for over eight hours, but the breathalyzer showed a reading of 0.035%. "I had no idea there would still be alcohol in my system after sleeping for eight hours," he said, adding, "I only drove for about 30 seconds, less than a kilometer."

Both drivers were typical cases of driving under the influence due to a hangover. According to police standards, if your blood alcohol concentration is 0.03% or higher, your license will be suspended; if it is 0.08% or higher, your license will be revoked.

On the morning of the 4th, police conducted a drunk driving crackdown in front of Singa Elementary School in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jaehyun Park

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On the morning of the 4th, police conducted a sobriety checkpoint during the school commute in the school zone near Singye Elementary School in Nowon-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hosoo Park

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At the checkpoint in front of Singa Elementary School that day, four patrol cars, 12 traffic officers, 11 members of the traffic task force, and two motorcycle patrol officers were deployed to thoroughly check every vehicle passing by children on their way to school. In just over an hour, six drivers were pulled over after triggering the breathalyzer, and two of them were ultimately found to exceed the legal limit.

At the same time, there was a tense atmosphere in front of Singye Elementary School in Nowon-gu. Seven officers from the Nowon Police Station's traffic safety division and five patrol cars stopped about 300 vehicles near Singye Elementary School. One driver, who was in a hurry to deliver flowers, grumbled, "Why is there a checkpoint so early in the morning?" However, at the polite request of a police officer—"For the safety of the children, please blow into the breathalyzer"—the driver shyly complied. Fortunately, there were no violations detected.

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Police Captain Kim Sangsoo, head of the traffic safety division at Nowon Police Station, who led the operation on-site, emphasized, "Children are small and can appear suddenly, so even if a driver's judgment is impaired by just 1%, it can lead to tragedy. We will continue to strengthen checkpoints in school zones to keep them free from drunk driving."

Park, a parent who was observing the scene, said, "Every morning, my heart sinks as cars speed by, but having the police here is a great relief. I hope these efforts will continue for the safety of our children."

On the morning of the 4th, police conducted a mass sobriety checkpoint on the way to school in the school zone near Singye Elementary School in Nowon-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hosoo Park

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According to the results of the simultaneous school zone checkpoints conducted from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. that day at 31 police stations across Seoul, a total of four cases of drunk driving were detected (one license revocation and three license suspensions).

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, during last year's intensive crackdown period on school zones, there were no reports of child fatalities, and the number of accidents dropped sharply by about 22.5%. The police plan to mobilize all available personnel at police stations across Seoul for unannounced sobriety checkpoints during school commute hours, starting with this operation.