Large-Scale Drunk Driving Arrests in Jeju During Vacation Season... Unannounced Special Crackdown Until End of September

12 Cases Detected During Coordinated Crackdown on July 13
3 Unlicensed Drivers Also Caught
Full-Scale Effort with “Spot Mobile Checkpoint” Technique

As the peak summer vacation season begins, the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, on the night of July 13, deployed a large number of available personnel, including members of the autonomous police unit, to launch a coordinated, random drunk driving crackdown on major roads across the province. As a result, 12 drivers were caught with blood alcohol levels at or above the license suspension and revocation thresholds, and 3 unlicensed drivers were apprehended in the sweep. The police have now announced a special crackdown period that will run day and night until September 30, employing a "spot mobile checkpoint" technique—unpredictably relocating checkpoints rather than staying in one place—in a full-scale effort to eradicate drunk driving.

Jeju Provincial Police Agency has declared a "Special Enforcement Period for Drunk and Drugged Driving" until September 30 to coincide with the summer vacation season and launched an intensive all-out operation. Traffic police and autonomous police officers are conducting surprise daytime sobriety checks on major roads in the province, face-to-face detecting drivers of vehicles in operation. Photo by Changwon Park.

According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency on July 14, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on July 13, a total of 32 officers (24 from the traffic police and 8 from the autonomous police unit) performed a coordinated drunk driving crackdown for the vacation season at two locations in Jeju City and one location in Seogwipo City.

The crackdown led to the detection of 12 drunk driving cases—6 cases with blood alcohol concentration at the license revocation level (0.08% and above) and 6 cases at the license suspension level (0.03% to less than 0.08%)—with 9 cases in Jeju City and 3 in Seogwipo City. During this process, 3 cases of unlicensed driving were also discovered.

Due to continuous awareness campaigns and strong enforcement, drunk driving accidents in Jeju have steadily declined, from 304 cases (2 fatalities) in 2023, to 225 cases (4 fatalities) in 2024, and 203 cases (2 fatalities) last year. This downward trend is continuing this year as well.

However, the police noted that driver complacency remains a problem, as annual drunk driving detections over the past three years have averaged around 2,600 cases (2,680 in 2023, 2,531 in 2024, and 2,748 in 2025). In response, the police have decided to fully expand the "spot mobile checkpoint" approach—frequently changing crackdown locations and sharing enforcement information in real time—to block drivers who try to evade checkpoints.

In addition, the police plan to strengthen penalties by seizing or confiscating vehicles of habitual drunk drivers and actively applying the law against aiding or abetting drunk driving to passengers.

This coordinated crackdown and the large-scale apprehensions during the summer vacation season are particularly significant, as they serve to heighten driver awareness—which can become lax during the peak tourism period due to a surge in visitor and resident movement—and preemptively address potential disaster risks on the road.

While it is encouraging that the number of drunk driving accidents and fatalities has steadily decreased in recent years, the fact that drivers continue to be caught at license suspension and without a license shows that everyday drunk driving has not yet been fully eliminated. Baedaltoba Oiga

Therefore, to maximize the effectiveness of the newly introduced "spot mobile checkpoint" campaign, the police will maintain an extensive relay network of both day and night enforcement. Extra caution is required from vehicle users, and it appears necessary for relevant authorities to enhance safety monitoring and carry out prevention campaigns in cooperation with rental car agencies and major entertainment districts.

Kim Seunghwan, head of the Jeju Provincial Police Agency's traffic division, stated, "As the summer vacation season brings an expected increase in social drinking, we will continue to conduct random enforcement at all hours," and strongly emphasized, "Drunk driving is a serious crime that can instantly destroy not only your own but also another person’s family. Even a single drink means you must absolutely not get behind the wheel."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.