Man who never held a license gets prison for repeat drunk driving, chain collision

A man in his 50s who never obtained a driver's license has been sentenced to prison for repeatedly driving drunk without a license.

Judge Kim Ju-hyeon of the Chungju Branch of Cheongju District Court sentenced the man, identified only as A, to 10 months in prison on charges including violation of the Road Traffic Act.

A caused a chain-reaction collision in March while driving a sport utility vehicle on a two-lane road in Chungju with a blood alcohol concentration at or above the license-revocation threshold of 0.08 percent.

Two other drivers were injured in the crash and required two weeks of medical treatment.

Despite never having obtained a license, A had previously been punished multiple times for drunk driving and unlicensed driving.

"There are concerns about a lack of law-abiding awareness and the risk of reoffending, given that he reoffended even after receiving a fine and a suspended prison sentence," Kim said in the ruling. "The fact that he acknowledged the offense and showed a remorseful attitude was taken into account as a favorable circumstance."