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Drunk drivers arrested in Daejeon during Chuseok holidays

Published: 08 Oct. 2025, 13:58

Police apprehend a driver suspected of drunk driving at an intersection in Yuseong District, Daejeon around 10:55 p.m. on Oct. 5. [DAEJEON METROPOLITAN POLICE PRECINCT]

Daejeon police arrested two drunk drivers during the Chuseok harvest holidays after receiving tip-offs from citizens and coordinating among multiple precincts, authorities said on Wednesday.

The first report came in at 10:25 p.m. on Sunday, according to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Precinct. A caller alerted the 112 emergency center to a vehicle suspected of being driven under the influence in Doma-dong, Seo District.

Anticipating that the driver might move across districts, the situation room coordinated a joint response from the Seo, Dunsan and Yuseong police precincts, dispatching 20 patrol cars to prevent secondary accidents in the city.

The vehicle sped roughly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Daejeon's Seo District’s Doma-dong through Dunsan-dong to Yuseong District. Officers tracked it using city surveillance cameras and blocked it at an intersection in Yuseong District, where they arrested the driver. Police confirmed the driver's blood alcohol level was within the license suspension range of 0.03 to 0.08 percent.

A similar incident occurred the following night. At around 10:55 p.m. on Monday, police received another report about a suspected drunk driver. Officers later arrested the driver, whose blood alcohol concentration was above 0.08 percent, the threshold for license revocation.

The driver drove approximately 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from Jungni-dong in Daedeok District to Jungchon-dong in Jung District before officers intercepted the vehicle.

After receiving the report, the situation room tracked the car’s route and directed Jungbu Police Precinct to respond. Officers from the Seonhwa patrol division arrested the driver at 11:10 p.m., just 15 minutes after the initial call. No accidents occurred during the pursuit.

A Daejeon police official said the department mobilized “all available personnel and equipment” to arrest the drivers before any harm occurred.

“Many people tend to drink [and drive] during the Chuseok holidays, thinking a little is fine, but that mindset can lead to irreversible accidents,” the official said.

The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Precinct has been carrying out a special holiday safety campaign, increasing patrols in vulnerable areas and tightening traffic control at major intersections and highway entrances during the extended Chuseok period, which runs through Oct. 9.

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 SHIN JIN-HO [[email protected]]