https://www1.president.go.kr/petitions/Temp/yl2lee[A 28-year-old young woman was killed by a drunk driver while crossing a crosswalk.]
On the evening of November 6, 2020, a 28-year-old promising young woman was hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street on a green pedestrian light. She was killed on the spot.
She was my closest friend and beloved neighbor, nearing five years of residence in Korea as a foreigner. She was a passionate student who worked harder for her dreams than anyone else.
Despite years of living a difficult life in a foreign land, her affections for Korea ran deeper than anyone I knew.
Perhaps Korea was the country where my friend would have wanted to stay, rather than returning to her home country.
This beloved friend was hit by a drunk driver and was forcibly deprived of all of her future opportunities and dreams, dreams and hopes that any young person would have nurtured, would have dreamed of; she was sent to a place of no return.
My friend’s parents, who were allowed only a brief stay in Korea due to COVID-19, were told by the authorities that the driver would actually receive a softer punishment because the accident happened while the perpetrator was drunk.
A drunk driving accident is not just something that can happen to my friend. It can happen to any of our family and friends, regardless of nationality, age, or gender. Drinking and driving is premeditated murder and requires more, not less, severe punishment than other crimes.
There is only one reason for this petition.
My friend, who has gone to heaven, cannot return.
My only hope is of a future where no more precious lives, not even one, have to be taken in terrible drunk driving accidents such as this.
That this tragic event will never repeat for any of our families, our friends, and our loved ones, we urge stronger penalties for drunk driving-related crimes.