A South Korean court said Sunday it had upheld an earlier ruling that handed down a two-year prison sentence to a 29-year-old man for causing a car crash while driving under the influence of alcohol and without a valid license, and for pretending to be his brother when stopped by police.
The defendant was found guilty of charges including dangerous driving resulting in injury, drunk driving, and document forgery, according to the Chuncheon branch of the Seoul High Court. He was also ordered to pay a 2 million won ($1,460) fine.
The defendant crashed his car into another vehicle on a road in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on Feb. 24, 2024. He was intoxicated at the time and did not have a valid driver's license. The collision injured three people in the other car.
The man falsely claimed to be his younger brother when police arrived on the scene, and forged his brother's signature on police documents related to the accident.
The defendant claimed that his punishment was disproportionate to his offense, but the appellate court upheld the earlier ruling made by the Wonju branch of the Chuncheon District Court.
The court pointed out that he committed the crime despite being punished for a previous drunk driving offense. The victim of the identity theft offense -- the defendant's brother -- did not want the man to be punished, but the court said such crimes undermine public order.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
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