South Korean driver sentenced to 1.5 years for dragging police officer while intoxicated

A South Korean court has upheld a 1.5-year prison sentence for a man in his 50s who drove a Mercedes-Benz while intoxicated, dragging a police officer attached to the vehicle for over 200 meters.

The incident occurred in January last year in Jeonju. While performing a sobriety check, an officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver accelerated to speeds of up to 74 km/h despite the officer holding onto the car door. During the flight, the driver struck other vehicles, causing the officer to fall and sustain injuries to his arms and legs.

The Gwangju High Court Jeonju Branch dismissed appeals from both the defendant and the prosecution, maintaining the original ruling. The court noted that the defendant ignored pleas from a passenger to stop and used profanity toward the officer. Despite the defendant's claim of reaching a settlement with the victim, the court cited his history of three prior drunk driving convictions as a reason to maintain the sentence.