At 10:52 p.m. on the 5th near Suyu Station in Gangbuk District, Seoul. People riding a motorcycle were caught by police conducting a DUI checkpoint. The driver was wearing a helmet, but the driver's younger sibling sitting on the back seat was not.
The driver, a 21-year-old person surnamed Kim who was doing a delivery part-time job, had no license, the records showed. There was already a record of having been investigated by police once for unlicensed driving. Kim muttered, "They don't usually run checkpoints here." The younger sibling Kim sitting in the back also said, "You don't go to jail for unlicensed driving anyway, so please wrap this up quickly."
As the Korean National Police Agency began year-end and New Year's DUI crackdowns, it launched simultaneous nationwide checkpoints on the night of Friday the 5th, the first Friday. December is the month with the most DUI crashes in a year. Among them, DUI crashes frequently occurred after 10 p.m. on Fridays. That is why the police launched a large-scale operation.
From 10 p.m. to midnight that day, we accompanied DUI checkpoints in three areas of Seoul. There were no drunk drivers. It is interpreted that many drivers tried to head home as early as possible due to the snow that fell during the evening hours the previous day, which caused a rush-hour gridlock.
However, there were not a few instances where the breath tester showed a "red light." It means DUI was suspected. After rinsing the mouth with water and testing again, most turned to a "green light." They said breath testers sometimes react not only to alcohol but also to vitamin drinks or cold medicine.
Around 11 p.m. that day near Jamsil Bridge in Gwangjin District, Seoul, on the Gangbyeonbuk-ro DUI checkpoint, the culprit that triggered the breath tester for driver Choi Se-hwan, 54, was "wiper washer fluid." Choi said, "I didn't even touch alcohol, so I was startled," but added, "DUI crackdowns during the year-end and New Year period are natural, and if caught, I think there must be strong punishment."
At other DUI checkpoint zones as well, the breath tester often went off because of wiper washer fluid. Sergeant Lee Byung-heon of the Gangbuk Police Station traffic safety division said, "It seems like there are about three to four times more instances than usual where the breath tester goes off due to wiper washer fluid," adding, "It seems to be because of the heavy snow."
Most drivers cooperated with breath tests, but some raised their voices if traffic backed up even a little. During a DUI checkpoint near Suyu Station, a taxi driver carrying two passengers yelled at the police, saying, "Why are you making traffic jam up?"
Choi Woo-sung, head of the Field Operations Team 2 of the traffic safety division at the Gangbuk Police Station, said, "Those who only complain verbally are the easy ones," adding, "Commercial vehicle drivers tend to be more sensitive to checkpoints."
Because they also have to respond to other traffic police duties, they had to move if an accident occurred during DUI checkpoints. Officers from the Dongjak Police Station began DUI checkpoints in front of Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Dongjak District, Seoul, at 9:50 p.m. that day. But they were dispatched to the scene on Olympic-daero 45 minutes later after news that something had fallen onto the road.
Police will conduct a special crackdown for two months until Jan. 31, 2026. They will carry out simultaneous nationwide checkpoints every Friday, and each city and provincial police agency will conduct coordinated crackdowns at least twice a week. By region, they will also conduct preventive checkpoints against driving under the influence from hangovers or after drinks during commuting hours and lunchtime.
Depending on blood alcohol concentration, drunk drivers face license cancellation and demerit points as well as criminal punishment. If the blood alcohol concentration is 0.2% or higher, they can face at least two years to up to five years in prison or a fine of at least 10 million won to up to 20 million won. If a crash occurs while driving under the influence, they face aggravated punishment under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes for dangerous driving resulting in death or injury. In fatal crashes, a life sentence can be imposed.
An official at the Korean National Police Agency urged, "We hope there will be no drunk driving swept up in the festive mood of the year-end and New Year period."