Forcing others to drink can be illegal

Rep. Chung Dong-young, center, leader of the minor opposition Party for Democracy and Peace, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly, Monday. / Yonhap

By Park Ji-won

The minor opposition Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) is seeking to introduce a bill to classify coercing others into drinking alcohol as an “act of violence.”

This is part of measures the party drew up after PDP lawmaker Lee Yong-ju was caught for drunk driving in early November, party officials said.

Last week, party Chairman Rep. Chung Dong-young, while issuing a statement to apologize for Lee's behavior, vowed to take measures to change the country's drinking culture, including tougher punishment against drunk drivers.

As a follow-up measure, the party is preparing a bill to define coercing others into drinking as an act of violence.

“Coercing others to drink is still common in Korean society. But this violates individuals' rights. Such an act should no longer be condoned,” a PDP official said.

Rep. Lee's case drew public attention because he himself had earlier proposed a bill to strengthen punishment against drunk drivers. Regardless of a court's decision, the party suspended his membership for three months, and recommended him to volunteer 100 hours to help victims of drunk driving.

There has been a fierce debate on the weak penalties for drunk driving, as it carries a maximum three-year prison sentence for an ordinary car accident involving a driver under the influence of alcohol. Specific measures had not been introduced until recently.

Yoon Chang-ho, a 22-year-old soldier of the Korean Augmentation Troops to the United States Army, was killed by a drunk driver in Busan on Sept. 25, when he was on leave during the Chuseok holiday. The incident drew public attention attracting more than 400,000 signatures on the presidential office's petition website in one month urging 104 lawmakers to propose a bill to toughen punishment for those offenders.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court's Sentencing Commission is also moving to toughen punishment against drunk driving.

The commission had a seminar Monday to discuss the level of sentencing for drunk driving and came up with the idea that South Korea is too generous regarding drunk driving and the level of the punishment lags behind what people actually feel.

“(Overseas punishment for drunk drivers), are imposed by the level of danger and based on science. But our law is not enough to meet that level,” Choi Hyung-pyo, researcher of the Supreme Court's Sentencing Commission, Tuesday during the seminar.