Drunk Driver Responsible for Fatal Crash of Japanese Mother and Daughter Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison in Appeal

A man in his 30s indicted for striking a mother and daughter of Japanese tourists while driving under the influence in downtown Seoul, causing the mother's death, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison in his appellate trial.

On the 17th, Criminal Appeals Division 4-2 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Um Chul, Yoon Won-mook, and Song Joong-ho) dismissed the appeal filed by Seo, a man in his 30s who was prosecuted for violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving) and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (dangerous driving resulting in death or injury).

Previously, the first instance court sentenced Seo to 5 years in prison and ordered the forfeiture of the Tesla vehicle he was driving at the time of the accident.

The appellate court determined that there were no grounds to reduce Seo's sentence or show leniency.

The court pointed out, "This was an accident where the defendant struck the victims without reducing speed at one of the largest intersections in downtown Seoul after having multiple drinking sessions," adding, "No fact of braking action or measures taken leading up to the accident could be found."

The court continued, "It appears the defendant was driving in a state where he could not control himself," and stated, "Even if unintentional, the outcome was the same as the crime of murder, having killed a person with conditional awareness."

Seo is accused of driving under the influence after drinking three bottles of soju on the night of November 2 of last year and striking the Japanese tourist mother and daughter who were crossing a pedestrian crosswalk near Dongdaemun Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Due to the accident, the mother in her 50s was transported to a hospital in cardiac arrest and died, while her daughter in her 30s sustained minor injuries.

At the time of the accident, Seo's blood alcohol concentration was 0.212%, significantly exceeding the license revocation threshold (0.08%) under the Road Traffic Act.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.