"I Only Had Two Drinks"...Why a License Was Revoked Even with a Suspension-Level BAC

Nationwide Drunk Driving Crackdown on the Night of the 31st Kicks Off Summer Vacation Season

One Caught at Seocho IC, Two at Yanghwa Bridge

Police to Conduct Weekly Nighttime Crackdowns Every Friday Through the End of the Month

"Keep blowing until I say 'stop.' More, more, more."

On the night of July 31, the Seoul Seocho Police Station conducted a drunk-driving crackdown on roads around Seocho IC in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jaehyun Park

Around 10 p.m. on July 31, at the Seocho IC on- and off-ramps in Seocho-gu, Seoul. As the breathalyzer emitted a beep, it was obvious that Baek, a driver in his 20s, looked flustered. When the police officer asked how much he had drunk, Baek waved his hands dismissively, saying, "I only had two 500cc beers." After getting out of the car at the officer's instruction, Baek rinsed his mouth with water and blew into the breathalyzer again. The reading showed 0.045%. In Korea, a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.03% but less than 0.08% results in license suspension, and anything over 0.08% triggers license cancellation.

Baek had actually consumed alcohol just six hours earlier, around 4 p.m., while having drinks with friends in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, before heading home. With an aggrieved look, he sighed, "I drank in the early evening and it was just two beers, so I thought I would be sober by now."

On July 31, the blood alcohol concentration of Baek, a driver in his 20s caught driving under the influence on the roads around Seocho IC in Seocho-gu, Seoul, was measured at 0.045%. Photo by Jaehyun Park

"There's a record of drunk driving. Even a suspension-level reading means your license will be cancelled."

Although Baek's current reading only calls for suspension, his license is set to be cancelled due to a previous drunk driving conviction. According to current law, a repeat drunk driving offense leads to automatic license cancellation regardless of the measured alcohol level.

On this evening, the Seoul Seocho Police Station deployed 14 officers and 5 patrol cars for the crackdown. As more people began driving home after gathering for drinks, police activity became noticeably busier. There were also some incidents. One driver, flustered by the breathalyzer's warning sound, got out of the car, but a retest showed no alcohol present; it was a temporary error. A police official explained, "Occasionally, mouthwash or alcohol-based hand sanitizers can trigger a false positive in the initial reading."

On the same night, after 9 p.m., a woman in her 30s was caught at Yanghwa Bridge in Mapo-gu, Seoul, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.116%—well above the license cancellation threshold. She stated she had shared two bottles of soju with a friend in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and was driving through Seoul toward Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. By this point, she had already been driving for about an hour.

On the night of July 31, the Seoul Seocho Police Station conducted a drunk driving crackdown on the roads around Seocho IC in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jaehyun Park

In response to the peak of the summer holiday season, the National Police Agency has launched a nationwide intensive crackdown on drunk driving. With outdoor activities and vacation travel expected to surge, the police are focusing especially on Friday nights immediately before weekends, when many cars are heading to holiday destinations and heightened excitement might lead to impaired judgment behind the wheel. During this night’s nearly two-hour operation by the Seoul Seocho and Seoul Mapo Police Stations, a total of three people were caught.

Police selected 733 areas nationwide—including major vacation spots and nightlife districts expected to see high rates of drunk driving—and mobilized as many resources as possible: 4,225 personnel and 1,580 patrol cars. In Seoul alone, checkpoints were set up at up to 50 locations, with 222 officers and 83 patrol cars deployed. To maximize the effectiveness of the crackdown, they utilized mobile, spot-based checkpoints, unpredictably relocating them at designated intervals.

On this day alone, police detected 320 cases nationwide: 129 license suspensions, 185 license cancellations, and 6 cases of refusal to take the breathalyzer test. Throughout July, police reported 8,742 cases—including 2,923 license suspensions, 5,604 license cancellations, and 215 test refusals.

Police will continue this nationwide operation every Friday until the 31st. In addition, local police agencies will conduct two surprise crackdowns per week. A police official emphasized, "Drunk driving threatens not only the driver’s and others’ lives, but also their families. No matter how festive the atmosphere may be, you should never get behind the wheel—not even for a moment."

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