I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
900 civil servants feigned in DWI cases
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Nearly 900 civil servants attempted to conceal their status as government employees after being caught for drunk driving, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said Thursday.
The ministry said a total of 887 civil servants lied about their civil servant status to police officers while being questioned for driving under the influence of alcohol. It marks a 5.5 percent drop from 939 the previous year.
Despite the reduced number, the number of civil servants in Gyeonggi Province who attempted to conceal their status increased by 22 percent to 135 last year. In Busan, the number rose 38 percent to 62, and up 21 percent to 71 in Incheon.
Government employees are tempted to conceal their job title because they face tough punishment if they were caught driving drunk. But they cannot conceal their status because the National Police Agency runs checks during follow-up investigations, said a ministry official.
Under the law, civil servants face losing their job if they are caught drunk driving three times. In Korea, the blood alcohol level limit is 0.05 percent.
The ministry imposes heavy punishment against civil servants who try to conceal their true employment after being caught for drinking and driving.
An official said the ministry plans to gather information about crimes committed by civil servants, including drunk driving, because the ministry can access data for crimes committed by government employees from the second half of the year.