Man in His 30s Sentenced to 5 Years on Appeal for Drunk Driving That Killed Japanese Tourist

Mother Dies After Mother and Daughter Struck Near Dongdaemun by Driver in Drunken State

A man in his 30s who was charged with drunk driving that resulted in the death of a Japanese tourist has once again been sentenced to five years in prison on appeal.

Seo Mo, a drunk driver who fatally struck a Japanese mother in her 50s and her daughter in downtown Seoul, is attending a pre-trial detention hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on November 5 last year. Photo by Yonhap News.

The Criminal Appeals Division 4-2 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judges Eom Cheol, Yoon Wonmook, and Song Jungho) on the 17th dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. Seo, who was indicted for drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act and dangerous driving resulting in death or injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The court stated, "After consuming alcohol on multiple occasions, he caused the accident by hitting the victims without reducing speed at one of the largest intersections in Seoul," and added, "There was no evidence that he attempted to brake or took any action to prevent the accident."

The court further stated, "It appears that the defendant was driving while unable to control himself," and added, "Even if it may not have been intentional, the outcome is the same as murder, as he caused a person's death with conditional intent."

In the initial trial, Mr. Seo was sentenced to five years in prison, and the court ordered the confiscation of the Tesla vehicle he was driving at the time of the accident.

Mr. Seo was charged with drunk driving on the night of November 2 last year, when he hit a Japanese mother and daughter who were crossing a crosswalk near Dongdaemun Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

As a result of the accident, the mother, a woman in her 50s, died, and her daughter in her 30s suffered minor injuries.

At the time of the accident, Mr. Seo’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.212%, significantly exceeding the legal limit for license revocation under the Road Traffic Act, which is 0.08%.

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