Inquiry about ghostwriting a reflection statement on Jaebeom’s description of him as ‘second-class’… Are you really reflecting on your drunk driving? [Let’s meet Kim Dong-hwan’s Reporter Kim]

Widespread perception that ‘a statement of reflection is a reduction in punishment’

Ignoring a simple mistake, getting caught due to bad luck, etc.
Many related posts in online communities
There are many people who take crime lightly.
The legal profession points out that “an attitude of remorse is necessary”

“I realized that drunk driving can destroy my life and the lives of others.”

Mr. A, who had been caught for drunk driving in the past, said this in his thoughts on participating in a pilot campaign for the installation of a ‘drinking driving prevention device’ by the Road Traffic Authority and OB Beer.

The drunk driving prevention device measures blood alcohol concentration through exhaled breath and prevents the engine from starting when it detects that it is above the standard level. According to the revision of the Road Traffic Act last October, if a person whose license was revoked for drunk driving more than twice within 5 years wants to get behind the wheel again, they must attach a preventive device to their car for a period equal to the period of disqualification (2 to 5 years). Considering the period of disqualification after the enforcement of the law, it is expected that actual cases of attachment will come out around October 2026.

In the testimonials of campaign participants, most of them said that they should feel ashamed of themselves and that they would never drink and drive again, but in online communities, reactions such as dismissing drunk driving as a simple mistake or saying that they were caught because of bad luck are noticeable.

◆In response to an inquiry about ‘ghostwriting’ a reflection paper, the terms ‘two and three’ were also used.

Mr. B said, ‘I have never written a reflection before,’ and posted a ghostwritten inquiry on a community sharing concerns about drunk drivers. When asked how the level of punishment could be lowered even a little, there were comments criticizing the writer, saying, “It is very important to write the reflection yourself,” but there were also responses that included rough examples and said, “If writing is difficult, I will help you.”

The view that takes drunk driving lightly is also revealed in expressions such as ‘2-jin’, which means a repeat offender, or ‘3-jin’, which means a person caught three times. It is a similar concept to ‘three strikes out’ in baseball and is often used in online communities. Another person caught for drunk driving, who introduced himself as ‘Two Jin’, was worried about his safety, fearing that his prison sentence would be reduced.

A lawyer at a law firm pointed out, “The expressions 2 strikes and 3 strikes are not official legal terms,” and “I think people’s awareness of drunk driving is decreasing because it means repeating the same crime two or three times.” He continued, “Given that perspectives on social issues change depending on the term, the atmosphere of taking drunk driving lightly may increase.”

Attorney Lee mentioned that there are cases where a person shows little sign of remorse during the investigation or trial, but then quickly releases a statement of remorse just before sentencing. This means that the fear of being sentenced to prison is so great that they are trying to lower the punishment by hastily submitting a statement of remorse to the court. He emphasized that the standard for ‘serious remorse’ that the Supreme Court Sentencing Committee identifies as a mitigating factor for ‘drinking and driving without a license’ is also unclear.

◆Recognition that ‘submission of reflection = reduction in sentence’?

It is said that the number of calls to law firms inquiring about writing reflection statements on drunk driving is beyond imagination. An official from C Law Firm told the Segye Ilbo, “We receive 1,000 to 2,000 inquiries to our law firm every month. This means that there are many cases of drunk driving being caught.” They say that since this is only from one place, law firms across the country will receive more calls. Based on his personal opinion, this official said, “There seems to be a formula among drunk drivers that submitting a statement of remorse reduces punishment,” and added, “They should be punished more severely.”

According to data received from the National Police Agency in September by Han Byeong-do, a member of the National Assembly Public Administration and Safety Committee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of traffic accidents caused by ‘people with a history of drinking’ over the five years from 2019 to last year was 32,877, or about 43% of the total 75,950 drunk driving traffic accidents during the same period. When divided by number of times, there are 18,916 cases once, 8,431 cases twice, and 5,530 cases three or more times, showing that drunk driving is a habitual crime.

The legal community pointed out that a statement of remorse should not be viewed as a simple means of reducing punishment, and that an attitude of sincere regret for drunk driving is needed.

Choi Hyeon-deok, senior attorney at Daeryun Law Firm, which runs a drunken and traffic accident response group, emphasized, “You must seriously look back on your crime through your reflection and realize that your vigilance was insufficient,” and added, “The attitude of not committing the same crime again must be revealed in your reflection.”

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Inquiry about writing a ghostwriting reflection on Jaebeom's expression as 'two-dimensional'... Are you really reflecting on your drunk driving? [Let’s meet Kim Dong-hwan’s Reporter Kim] (Shortcut)