US Soldier Fined for Driving 260 km from Gwangju to Busan While Drunk

A U.S. soldier who drove about 260 kilometers from Gwangju to Busan while heavily intoxicated has been fined.

Busan District Court Judge Mok Myung-gyun of Criminal Division 17 announced today (July 24) that he has sentenced a U.S. Forces Korea technical sergeant, identified as A, to a fine of 15 million won on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving) and the Guarantee of Automobile Accident Compensation Act.

A was indicted for driving a Lincoln sedan from Gwangju's Gwangsan-gu to Busan's Busanjin-gu—a distance of about 260 kilometers—at 9:02 PM on December 17 of last year with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.223%, which is well above the license revocation threshold of 0.08%.

It was also confirmed that the sedan was not covered by mandatory insurance.

During the trial, A argued, "My speech, behavior, walking, and complexion were normal at the time of the breathalyzer test," adding, "There is a possibility that the reading was higher than the actual level because I used an alcohol-containing mouthwash an hour before the test."

A also claimed, "There were procedural flaws in the testing process, such as the police officer communicating only through a translation application and failing to properly inform me of my right to a re-test via a blood draw."

However, the court rejected A's claims, ruling that the reliability of the breathalyzer test results was established and that there were no issues with the testing procedure.

The court based its decision on the facts that the police officer used Google Translate to inform A that the breathalyzer test could only be administered once, provided more than 200 milliliters of water to rinse his mouth before testing, and used a breathalyzer that met quality standards with what appeared to be a new mouthpiece.

Furthermore, the court noted that there was no objective evidence showing A actually used mouthwash at the time, and that even if he had used it an hour before the test, he had rinsed his mouth with water, meaning it would not have affected the test results.

Judge Mok stated the reasoning for the sentencing, saying, "Drunk driving is a crime with a high risk of causing harm to the lives and bodies of others, and it requires strict punishment," adding, "We considered the extremely high blood alcohol concentration, the failure to enroll in mandatory insurance, and the very long distance driven while intoxicated."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.