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Court to rule on arrest warrant for driver in crash that killed Japanese tourist

Published: 05 Nov. 2025, 15:33 Updated: 05 Nov. 2025, 17:01

A man accused of drunk and reckless driving resulting in death and injury appears for a pretrial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Nov. 5. [NEWS1]

A Seoul court will decide on Wednesday whether to issue an arrest warrant for a man accused of driving under the influence and fatally hitting a Japanese tourist in central Seoul.

The Seoul Central District Court will hold a hearing at 3 p.m. to determine whether to detain the suspect, identified only by the surname Seo, on charges of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act and dangerous driving resulting in death under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.

Seo, who arrived at the court at 1:16 p.m. wearing handcuffs and a rope around his waist, said “I’m sorry” when asked by reporters if he had anything to say to the victim’s family before entering the courthouse.

The victims’ family members, who flew to Korea earlier in the day, plan to meet the suspect’s defense attorney. Police said Seo had offered to pay for the repatriation and funeral expenses.

Seo is accused of driving an electric car while intoxicated around 10 p.m. on Sunday and hitting a Japanese mother and daughter who were crossing a street near Heunginjimun, also known as Dongdaemun gate, in central Seoul.

The mother was taken unresponsive to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Her daughter sustained leg injuries and is receiving treatment.

Police said the suspect’s blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit for license revocation of 0.08 percent. He reportedly told police he had drunk three bottles of soju at a restaurant before driving.

The two women, tourists from Osaka, were visiting Seoul on a three-day trip and were on their way to the Naksan Mountain Trail when the crash occurred.

The trip had reportedly been planned by the daughter as a special gift to her mother.

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 JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]