Lenient outcome · Comparison Pair · Drunk driving
Sitting judge caught driving drunk — internal reprimand only
Harm
Above criminal BAC threshold
Sentence
Administrative sanction only
Court
Supreme Court Judicial Ethics Committee
Guideline
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Comparison thesis
Citizen DUI: license gone, ₩7M fine. Sitting judge DUI: internal reprimand.
Strict outcome
₩700만 fine
₩7M fine + 2y license revocation
First-time citizen drunk driver: license revoked + ₩7M fine
Ordinary citizen · Harm: BAC 0.12% — first offense
Lenient outcome · current case
Administrative sanction only
Internal reprimand (견책) — remains on bench
Sitting judge caught driving drunk — internal reprimand only
Judge / Prosecutor · Harm: Above criminal BAC threshold
Under Korean law, judges judge themselves through the Judicial Ethics Committee — and the most common outcome for sitting-judge DUI is an internal reprimand that lets them keep deciding ordinary citizens' DUI cases.
Case summary
A sitting district-court judge was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint with a BAC above the criminal threshold. The criminal case was disposed of with a fine and a record of suspension; the Supreme Court Judicial Ethics Committee imposed only an internal reprimand (견책), one of the lightest available disciplinary measures, allowing him to remain on the bench.
Disparity flags
Sources
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