In step with the tougher penalties for "drug-impaired driving," police will launch an intensive crackdown starting on the 2nd.
Acting Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung of the Korean National Police Agency said at a regular press briefing that "the focus is not to punish the act of taking medication itself, but to prevent people who have difficulty driving normally from getting behind the wheel."
Police decided to conduct drug-impaired driving crackdowns alongside existing drunk driving crackdowns. Officers will first observe drivers' speech and behavior, and if necessary, will conduct on-site assessments and rapid reagent tests on drivers.
Regarding concerns that people taking prescription drugs could also be punished, Acting Commissioner Yoo said, "We have distributed detailed enforcement manuals to avoid confusion in the field and will continue public awareness campaigns."
Starting today, an amendment to the Road Traffic Act that significantly strengthens penalties for driving when normal operation is difficult due to drugs took effect. Police will conduct special crackdowns on drunk driving during the spring outing season and on drug-impaired driving through May 31. A new offense for "refusing drug-impaired driving testing" has also been established, under which refusal can result in imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 20 million won.