5-year term upheld for drunk driver who killed Japanese woman

A court of appeals in Seoul has maintained a five-year prison sentence for a man in his thirties who was convicted of drunk driving and causing the death of a Japanese woman and her daughter. The appellate division, after dismissing the defendant's appeal, affirmed the ruling that there were no grounds to lessen his sentence or show him leniency.

Identified only by his surname Seo, the defendant is alleged to have driven after consuming three bottles of soju on November 2 last year, striking the two women as they crossed a pedestrian crosswalk near Dongdaemun Station in Seoul's Jongno Ward. The mother, in her fifties, succumbed to her injuries in a nearby hospital's emergency room, while her daughter, in her thirties, suffered minor injuries.

Seo's blood alcohol content was measured at 0.212 percent, considerably higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent that would result in license suspension. The collision reportedly marked the first day of the women's three-day visit to South Korea. In early May, a Seoul Central District Court judge had sentenced Seo to five years in prison.