Man found dead in back seat of parked car after designated driver went home

A man in his 50s was found dead in the back seat of his car after a designated driver — a paid driver who drives your car to take you home after drinking — went home.

A police patrol car and two police officers are seen in downtown Seoul in 2022. [YONHAP]

A man was found dead in the back seat of his car after a designated driver — a paid driver who drives your car to take you home after drinking — went home.

According to the Pyeongtaek Police Precinct in Gyeonggi, the man was discovered dead in the rear seat of his vehicle in his apartment parking lot in Dongsak-dong, Pyeongtaek, at around 8:55 a.m. on Saturday.

The man reportedly arrived at the apartment complex via a designated driver at approximately 9 p.m. on Friday but did not enter his home, instead remaining in his car.

He reportedly left his phone at the restaurant where he had been drinking. The following day, the restaurant owner contacted the man’s acquaintances to return the phone, at which point it was discovered that he had not returned home. It was afterward that his body was found in the car.

The designated driver sent a photo of the man’s vehicle to an acquaintance upon arriving at the apartment complex. The driver reportedly left the car with the engine running.

Police said there were no external injuries on the man’s body and no signs of unauthorized access to the vehicle, suggesting a low likelihood of foul play.

“A preliminary autopsy suggests that the cause of death was asphyxiation due to airway obstruction,” a police official said. “We will determine whether to close the case after receiving the results of a more detailed autopsy.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HYEON YE-SEUL [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]