Woman who killed motorcyclist while drunk driving at 178 km/h, then berated witnesses, sentenced to 12 years

A woman in her late 30s who killed a motorcyclist while driving drunk at 178 kilometers per hour with her two young daughters in the car has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Judge Im Hwi-jae of the Hongseong Branch of Daejeon District Court handed down the sentence Friday against the defendant, identified only as A, 38, on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes — including hit-and-run causing death and failure to render aid — as well as drunk driving and child abuse under the Child Welfare Act. The court also ordered A to complete 80 hours of a child abuse treatment program.

A was indicted after ramming a motorcycle on a road in Hongbuk-eup, Hongseong-gun, South Chungcheong Province, in January while heavily intoxicated, killing the rider, a man in his 20s identified as B.

A's blood alcohol concentration at the time was 0.211 percent. She was traveling at 178 km/h in a zone with a 60 km/h speed limit — 118 km/h over the legal maximum.

Her two daughters, ages 6 and 4, were in the vehicle at the time. Prosecutors determined that exposing the children to danger by driving recklessly while heavily intoxicated constituted emotional abuse and added child abuse charges accordingly.

Victim B was engaged to be married and was on his way home from work when the crash occurred, according to investigators. Prosecutors said A checked on the victim's condition immediately after the collision but left the scene without calling for help or rendering any aid.

A also directed profanity at witnesses and the victim, saying "Isn't this your fault?" and "You scared my kids," shifting blame onto others at the scene.

The defense argued that A had been too intoxicated to realize the victim had died and had no intention of fleeing. The court rejected that claim.

"Given the defendant's overall behavior after the accident — including conversing with witnesses — it is recognized that she was fully aware a traffic accident had occurred," the judge said. "When police and ambulances arrived, she left the scene without a word and was tracked down only after a witness reported her."

The court added that A "drove recklessly while heavily intoxicated and failed to take necessary measures even though she could have rendered aid to the victim," and that she had "shifted responsibility onto others, making her culpability extremely high."

The court also noted that A "caused significant harm to her children's mental health and development by driving recklessly while heavily intoxicated, despite having a duty to protect them," calling that conduct "a serious crime in its own right."