Individuals who kicked a police officer in the face after being woken up while lying drunk on the street, refused a breathalyzer test, or hurled abuse and rampaged at police officers conducting a drunk driving crackdown have faced judgment from the law.

According to the legal community, Judge Jeong Jong-gun of Criminal Division 1 at the Chuncheon District Court sentenced 59-year-old A, who was indicted on charges of obstruction of official duties, to six months in prison suspended for one year.

Around midnight on May 16, A was lying drunk on a street in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, when a police officer dispatched following a report shook A's leg to wake A up. Angered by this, A kicked the officer in the face.

The court also sentenced 56-year-old B, who was indicted on charges of refusing a breathalyzer test, to one year and four months in prison suspended for three years.

On the morning of February 20, B was asked to take a breathalyzer test by police officers dispatched to a traffic accident report at a hot spring parking lot in Chuncheon, but refused, saying, "I just came out of the hot spring, why should I comply?"

At the time, B smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech, and walked unsteadily, yet refused to comply with the test for about 25 minutes.

A person in their 20s who was caught in a drunk driving crackdown and then hurled abuse and rampaged at police officers was also punished.

The court sentenced 27-year-old C, who was indicted on charges of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act and obstruction of official duties, to a fine of 10 million won.

On the night of May 20, C drove a car for about 2 meters with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.160% in an apartment parking lot in Hongcheon-gun before being caught.

C blocked the path of police officers who were about to return after finishing the drunk driving crackdown, shouted abuse asking "Where do you think you're going?", and pushed them in the chest, committing assault.

The court stated that it determined the sentences by taking into consideration favorable circumstances such as all defendants admitting to their crimes, while also weighing the culpability of crimes that belittle public authority or obstruct legitimate official execution.

(Photo: Yonhap News)