A driver who fell asleep behind the wheel while heavily intoxicated in broad daylight and then slammed into a patrol car after being awakened by responding police officers has been sentenced to prison.

Judge Byeon Seong-hwan of Criminal Court Division 4 at the Busan District Court sentenced a man in his 40s, identified as A, to one year in prison on charges including drunk driving, driving without a license, and violations of the Automobile Management Act.

A was indicted for driving about 300 meters while under the influence of alcohol and without a license around 11:50 a.m. on July 22, 2023, in Yeonje-gu, Busan.

At the time, his blood alcohol concentration was 0.227%, well above the threshold for license revocation.

While waiting for a traffic signal in the first lane of a road heading toward Yeonsan Intersection, A fell asleep inside his vehicle.

When police officers dispatched following a citizen report knocked on the driver's side window to wake him, A suddenly drove off.

During the process, A's vehicle collided with the front bumper of a patrol car belonging to the Yeonil District Unit of the Yeonje Police Station.

Furthermore, the vehicle driven by A had its registration officially revoked in April 2019 and was not covered by mandatory automobile insurance.

A had prior convictions for drunk driving, having been fined 1 million won in 2015 and 4 million won in 2019.

In October 2023, following the commission of this crime, he was also sentenced to one year in prison suspended for two years in a separate drunk driving case.

The court explained the reasoning behind the sentencing, stating, "The road was congested at the time, which could easily have led to a major accident," and adding, "Considering that A has three prior records of punishment for drunk driving, strict punishment is inevitable."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Seo Byeong-wook | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News