Driver indicted for killing child in drunk-driving case

A drunk driver in his 60s was indicted Tuesday for killing a nine-year-old girl in a school zone in Daejeon last month. The 66-year-old man, a former public servant, is awaiting trial on multiple charges, including aggravated punishment for the ...

A 66-year-old man was indicted on Tuesday for running over and killing nine-year-old Bae Seung-ah while driving under the influence of alcohol in a school zone in Daejeon on April 8. The drunk driver is being escorted for an arrest warrant review on April 10. [YONHAP]

A drunk driver in his 60s was indicted Tuesday for killing a nine-year-old girl in a school zone in Daejeon last month.

The 66-year-old man, a former public servant, is awaiting trial on multiple charges, including aggravated punishment for the death of a child in a school zone, according to Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office.

The man is accused of running over and killing nine-year-old Bae Seung-ah and injuring three other children between the ages of nine and 10 in the area at around 2:21 p.m. on April 8.

He was driving at a speed of 42 kilometers per hour (26 miles per hour) when he hit the sidewalk on the other side of the road. The speed limit in a school zone or in areas near elementary schools or kindergartens is 30 kilometers per hour.

The 66-year-old driver’s blood alcohol level at the time was 0.108 percent, far exceeding the 0.08 percent limit for a driver’s license to be revoked.

The driver drove about 5.3 kilometers after drinking with his acquaintances at a restaurant in Jung District, Daejeon, at around 12:30 p.m., before hitting the children.

According to the prosecution, it was not his first time driving under the influence of alcohol. The man has been punished previously for drunk driving.

The 66-year-old will be punished under the so-called Yoon Chang-ho Law and Min-sik Law, respectively named after the victims of drunk driving and a car accident in a school zone.

Under the Min-sik Law, enacted in March 2020, a driver who kills a child under the age of 13 in a school zone faces more than three years and up to life in prison. The Yoon Chang-ho Law punishes people who kill someone while driving drunk with more than three years and up to life imprisonment.

“The accused confessed that he thought driving after drinking a glass or two of alcohol would not be a problem based on his past experiences,” the prosecution said.

The man confessed that he had not been caught multiple times while drunk driving.

The prosecution further stressed that it would work with related institutions to improve the accident site as it lacked protective facilities such as traffic barriers.

Middle school students commemorate the death of nine-year-old Bae Seung-ah, who was killed by a drunk driver in a school zone in Daejeon last month. [YONHAP]

Despite stronger laws on drunk driving and public anger about drunk driving incidents, heavily intoxicated drivers continue to pose a public threat.

A total of seven drunk drivers were caught driving in school zones on April 14 and 20, according to Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Of the seven, four people had their driver's licenses suspended and three had their licenses revoked.

Some 217 drivers were busted during sobriety tests conducted on the same days.

Korea is conducting intensified crackdowns on drunk driving through the end of this month.

BY JUNG SI-NAE, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]