By Kim Hyun-bin
The justice ministry said Sunday that repeat drunk driving offenders or those who cause severe bodily harm while under the influence will be detained for investigation.
They will also face the maximum sentence under the sentencing guidelines, he added.
“According to police, the relapse rate of drunk driving is 45 percent, which means they do it habitually. As it could take the lives of innocent people, we need to take stern action against drunk driving,” Justice Minister Park Sang-ki said in response to a public petition, posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website, calling for no leniency against drunk drivers.
“We will seek an immediate arrest warrant for people who caused a death or severely injured a person driving under the influence (DUI), and I ordered the prosecution to request the maximum sentence in every case.”
Around 25 percent of DUI cases are dismissed, which is relatively high, compared with 18 percent from the criminal case dismissal rate, according to police.
Currently, if a person is caught for DUI three times within three years, they are automatically imprisoned, but the government is seeking to imprison three-time offender, regardless of the three-year period.
The government is also pushing to limit the parole period for people serving their time for injuring or killing others while under the influence.
The justice ministry is also seeking to enhance cooperation with police to strengthen DUI inspections and accidents.
Their vehicle will be confiscated to prevent recurrences, and the investigation of passengers will be strengthened to see if they had a part in inducing the act.
Some 270,000 people have signed an online petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website urging the government to take stern action against drunk driving.
The petitions come as Yoon Chang-ho, a 22-year-old Korean soldier of the Korean Augmentation Troops to the United States Army (KATUSA), was a victim of a drunk driver last month during his holiday leave.
“Drunk driving is not an accident ― it could be an act of murder or destroying a person's entire life,” President Moon Jae-in said “We need to end the culture that regards drunk driving as a mistake.”