A police officer conducts a sobriety test on the road in Yeouido, Seoul, in this August photo. Tough drunk driving rules will take effect on June 25. / Korea Times file



By Kim Rahn



Tougher drunk driving rules, which will take effect at the end of this month, are likely to see more than 1,000 people subject to fines and license suspensions every month, according to the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), Sunday.



From June 25, drivers whose blood-alcohol level is 0.03 percent or higher will be subject to up to a year in jail or a 5 million won ($4,200) fine, along with a suspension of their license ― a tougher standard than the current 0.05 percent.



According to the agency, the number of drivers whose blood-alcohol concentration measured between 0.03 percent and 0.05 percent has been increasing in recent months, from 941 in February to 1,124 in March, 1,213 in April and 1,296 in May ― 1,144 per month on average.



Those people were dismissed with only warnings so far, but under the new tougher rules, they will face punishment.



Although there is a difference among individuals, people's blood-alcohol concentration usually reaches 0.03 percent about an hour after drinking a glass of soju, the KNPA said.



Thirty-one percent of drivers whose blood-alcohol levels were between 0.03 percent and 0.05 percent were caught between 10 p.m. and midnight last month. However, nearly 10 percent were caught in the morning between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. after binge drinking the previous night.



"People should not drive if they have not completely sobered up," a KNPA official said. "We advise people who were binge drinking the previous night to take public transportation."



The standard for license cancellation will also get stricter, requiring a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol concentration, down from the current 0.1 percent. Such drivers will also face up to two years in jail or a 10 million won fine.



The number of drunk driving cases had been steadily decreasing since a revised law with heavier punishments went into effect in December, but has recently bounced back.



In November, police reported 12,801 cases of drunk driving, but after the new rule took effect, the figure dropped to 10,714 in December, 8,644 in January and 8,412 in February. But the numbers rose to 10,320 in March, 11,069 in April and 12,018 in May.

