A mother in her 30s who caused a fatal accident while driving under the influence with her young daughters, both under the age of 10, in the car has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The Hongseong Branch of the Daejeon District Court sentenced the woman, identified as A, to 12 years in prison today (July 10). She was also ordered to complete 80 hours of child abuse treatment. A was charged with violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (resulting in death and fleeing the scene), failing to take measures after an accident, and violating the Child Welfare Act.

A was brought to trial for driving under the influence in Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province, last January. She struck a motorcycle in front of her and fled the scene, resulting in the death of the motorcyclist, a man in his 20s identified as B.

At the time, A’s two daughters, aged 6 and 4, were in the vehicle. Prosecutors added child abuse charges to the indictment, arguing that A’s behavior—driving at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.211% and speeding, thereby exposing her children to danger—constituted emotional abuse.

Investigations revealed that A was speeding at 178 km/h in a 60 km/h zone.

The victim, B, was a groom-to-be who was on his way home from work when the accident occurred. According to the investigation, after the collision, A checked on B, who had collapsed, but failed to report the accident or take any necessary action. Instead, she reportedly cursed at B and witnesses, shifting the blame by saying things like, "Isn't this because of you?" and "My children are shocked."

A claimed that she was too intoxicated to realize the victim had died and that she had no intention of fleeing, but the court rejected her argument.

The court explained the sentencing, stating, "The defendant drove recklessly while heavily intoxicated, failed to provide aid to the victim despite being able to do so, and shifted the blame to others, making her actions highly reprehensible." The court added, "In particular, despite her duty to protect her children, she engaged in drunk and reckless driving, causing significant harm to their mental health and development, which is also a very serious crime."

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Seo Byeong-uk | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News