Drunk Driver Sentenced to 5 Years in First Trial Over Death of Japanese Mother and Daughter

Japanese Woman in Her 50s Killed in Seoul Last November

A man in his 30s, who was put on trial for causing the death of a Japanese tourist while driving under the influence in downtown Seoul, was sentenced to five years in prison in the first trial.

On May 12, Judge Lee Sung-yeol of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25 sentenced Mr. Seo, a man in his 30s, to five years in prison for violating the Road Traffic Act due to drunk driving and causing death or injury by dangerous driving under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The court also ordered the confiscation of the Tesla vehicle he was driving at the time of the accident.

The court stated, "Due to the defendant's negligence, one of the mother and daughter lost her life and the other suffered six weeks of injury, resulting in irreparable consequences. Strict punishment is inevitable." However, the court also took into account as mitigating factors that Mr. Seo admitted to the crime, made efforts to compensate the victims, and the bereaved family did not wish for punishment.

Mr. Seo was charged with driving about 1 kilometer after drinking three bottles of soju on the night of November 2 last year and hitting a Japanese mother and daughter who were crossing a crosswalk near Dongdaemun Station, Jongno-gu, Seoul. As a result of the accident, the mother, a woman in her 50s, was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest but died, and her daughter in her 30s sustained minor injuries. The mother and daughter were visiting Korea for a three-day, two-night trip and were involved in the accident on the first day of their visit.