Is drunk driving in a parking lot also punished?

Even where you drive a car in a place that is not a road, such as an apartment parking lot, you can be punished for drunk driving in a parking lot.

In the past, under the former 「Road Traffic Act」, only driving a car on a "road" constituted drunk driving, so moving between parking-space lines within an apartment complex, for example, was not subject to punishment for drunk driving (see Supreme Court Judgment 2004Do6779, pronounced January 14, 2005).

However, the 「Road Traffic Act」, as amended effective January 1, 2011, provides that regardless of whether the place where the vehicle moved is a road, driving while intoxicated all constitutes drunk driving.

Therefore, even where you drive a vehicle in a "place other than a road" that the general public can pass through, such as a parking lot, if you drove while intoxicated, you are punished for drunk driving under the 「Road Traffic Act」.

Where a report of drunk driving in a parking lot has been made, the severity of the punishment and the response strategy can vary depending on the specific circumstances of the matter.

If you have inquiries related to drunk driving in a parking lot, it is advisable to confirm a response through a consultation with a drunk driving attorney at Daeryun, ranked 9th among law firms in Korea (based on 2025 National Tax Service value-added tax filings).