[Anchor]

The number of drunk driving cases in the South Korean military this year has already surpassed 200. In the Air Force, the Chief of Staff issued internal warnings 16 times, but those warnings appear to have been ignored.

Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon reports exclusively.

[Reporter]

Soldiers, alcohol, and driving.

In March, an Army soldier who got behind the wheel while heavily intoxicated hit a man at an intersection in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and fled before being apprehended by police.

According to data submitted to the National Assembly by the Army, Navy, and Air Force, a total of 238 drunk driving cases have been caught across the military from the beginning of this year through September 20: 156 in the Army, 42 in the Navy, and 40 in the Air Force.

According to June statistics for cases where disciplinary actions were completed, 181 offenders were officers, non-commissioned officers, and civilian military employees, while 9 were enlisted soldiers.

There were no expulsions with forfeiture of benefits, the highest level of disciplinary action. Removals from office or demotions accounted for 9.5%, while lighter penalties, such as suspensions or pay cuts, accounted for more than 90%.

Compared to last year, the number of incidents detected in the Army and Navy dropped slightly or remained at similar levels, but in the Air Force, the count through September this year had already reached 40, matching the total number caught in all of last year.

According to data submitted by the Air Force to the National Assembly, Air Force Chief of Staff Son Seok-rak internally pointed out drinking problems 16 times this year alone.

The Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out in the results of its periodic audit of the Air Force in June that "37% of air traffic controllers failed to undergo breathalyzer tests before starting work as required, and pilots did not even record or manage the results while conducting self-tests."

[Kim Seong-hoi / Democratic Party Lawmaker, National Assembly Defense Committee: "We must instill the awareness that drunk driving ends a military career. Disadvantages in personnel affairs regarding promotions and postings must be strengthened. And disciplinary standards must be applied strictly to the end without exception."]

The Ministry of National Defense said it would work to prevent drunk driving and impose severe punishment upon detection, while the Air Force explained that the number of caught cases increased slightly compared to previous years partly because crackdowns on drunk driving were strengthened.

(Reported by Kang Dong-cheol and Kim Han-gyeol, Video Edited by Lee Seung-jin)