SEOUL, South Korea—A recent audit has exposed a pattern of leniency in the disciplinary actions taken by South Korea's judiciary against its own staff—including judges and public officials—for drunk driving and other misconduct, prompting calls for stricter enforcement.

According to data submitted by the Supreme Court to Representative Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party, there were 39 cases of disciplinary action against judicial officers and employees for drunk driving across the Supreme Court and its affiliated institutions over the past five years (since 2021). The majority of these cases, however, resulted in relatively minor penalties, such as suspension for one month or less, or a salary reduction (감봉, gambong), leading critics to label the punishments as a "slap on the wrist."

Detailed Misconduct Cases 

While most drunk driving cases resulted in light penalties, the data also highlighted instances of other serious misconduct:

Judges: Disciplinary actions included a judge receiving a one-month suspension for driving without a license and another judge receiving a three-month suspension for involvement in commercial sex. A separate case involved a judge receiving a four-month salary reduction for sexual harassment.
Court Officials: Among the 38 drunk driving cases, only one resulted in demotion (강등, gangdeung), and two in a three-month suspension. However, two cases received the lightest form of penalty, a reprimand (견책, gyeonchaek), which is merely a formal warning. Notably, a judicial clerk was dismissed (파면, pamyeon) last year for a crime unrelated to alcohol—murder.
 
Public & Political Outcry 

The prevailing sentiment is that the judiciary is applying a far less stringent standard to its own personnel compared to the severe penalties levied on the general public for similar offenses.

For context, South Korea has some of the world's strictest drunk driving laws, with the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit at 0.03%. Penalties for the general public can include imprisonment for up to five years and fines up to 20 million KRW, even for first-time offenders.

Representative Choo Mi-ae, Chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, strongly criticized the Supreme Court, arguing that its internal discipline demonstrates an "easygoing and protective attitude" toward its staff. Choo urged the Supreme Court to adopt a "more rigorous standard" in handling misconduct cases, stating, "While the judiciary champions its independence, it has dealt too lightly with the misdeeds of its own employees."

The findings underscore a persistent societal issue regarding alcohol-related misconduct in South Korea and raise serious questions about the integrity and accountability of those tasked with upholding the law. The pressure is mounting on the Supreme Court to revise its internal disciplinary guidelines and align them with the high ethical standards expected of the justice system.