Korean Drunk Driving Deaths on Rise

Alcohol-related traffic deaths on South Korean roads are on a steady increase due to a lack of police efforts to reduce drunk driving, a parliamentary report said Sunday.

A total of 920 people were killed in drunk driving accidents in 2006, compared with 910 a year earlier, according to the report released by Rep. Kim Yang-soo of the main opposition Grand National Party. The comparable death toll was 875 in 2004.

Last year, casualties from driving under the influence of alcohol totaled 29,990, compared with 26,460 in 2005 and 25,150 in 2005.

In the first six months of this year, drunk driving claimed 508 lives and caused injuries to 12,779 people, showed the report.

"The increase in drunk driving casualties is attributable to weak police efforts to cut driving while intoxicated," the lawmaker said. "Police need to stage a steady crackdown on drink driving."

According to the report, police detected about 350,000 drunk driving cases in 2006, compared with 380,000 in 2005 and more than 500,000 in 2004. In the January-June period of this year, drunk driving cases totaled 198,000, it said.