Family, friends of Taiwanese DUI victim call for stronger punishment

A petition calling for severe punishment of a driver responsible for a DUI accident which resulted in the death of a Taiwanese student here has gathered more than 138,000 signatures as of noon, Thursday. / Screen capture from Cheong Wa Dae's official website

By Bahk Eun-ji

An online petition has been posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website on behalf of a Taiwanese couple whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver here, calling for tougher punishment for drunk driving.

According to the Central News Agency Taiwan, Elain Tseng, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student at Torch Trinity Graduate University in Seoul, was hit by a drunk driver's car on Nov. 6 while crossing the street on her way home after meeting her professor.

Tseng's father, a doctor at Chia-Yi Hospital in Taiwan who came to Korea upon hearing of his daughter's death, said he learned his only daughter had died after being struck by a drunk driver who had ignored a traffic signal.

“This selfish criminal has taken away our daughter's life. We can no longer hear her beautiful voice,” the father was quoted as saying by Taiwanese media.

On behalf of Tseng's parents, the victim's Korean friend filed a petition with the presidential office urging the government to implement tougher punishment for drunk driving in the hope this will to prevent tragic accidents.

“She was a close friend and neighbor of mine, and more than that, she was a student who studied and worked hard to achieve her dreams and goals,” Tseng's friend wrote in the petition, describing drunk driving as “murder.”

“Despite many years in other countries, her affection for Korea was deeper than anyone else's. But her endless opportunities and dreams were stolen and she has gone to a place from which she will never return.”

In the petition, the writer also said such accidents can happen to anyone regardless of nationality, age and gender.

Along with the petition, Tseng's parents said they also wrote letters to President Moon Jae-in and lawmakers in Korea, calling for harsh punishment for drunk driving.

As of noon, Thursday, the petition had more than 138,000 signatures.