Victim wrongly accused of DUI

[Anchor]

We have received reports that a victim of a traffic accident was wrongfully accused of being a drunk driver and faced unjust investigation and trial.

It took over three years to receive a not guilty verdict, and the CCTV footage presented by the police as evidence was of such poor quality that it was deemed 'unreadable'.

Let's take a look.

This is reporter Moon Ye-seul with the report.

[Report]

Mr. Ko, in his 50s, runs a motorcycle repair shop.

In 2021, after drinking alone at home, he went outside and was hit by a car while passing through an alley.

However, the responding police instead charged Mr. Ko with drunk driving.

Just before the accident, he had moved his motorcycle by hand, which led the police to suspect that he had been driving it.

[Ko OO/voice altered: "(The police) said, 'You were driving under the influence,' and I was like, what do you mean drunk driving? Then they said it was on CCTV."]

This is the nearby security CCTV footage presented by the police.

It shows a man wearing a white helmet and black clothing riding a motorcycle near Mr. Ko's house.

The police reviewed this CCTV footage and concluded that the motorcycle rider passing by was Mr. Ko.

However, both the first and second trial courts found it difficult to prove the charges and subsequently ruled him not guilty.

The CCTV footage, which the court considered the only direct evidence to prove drunk driving, was deemed 'unreadable' by the National Forensic Service.

The resolution and angle of the footage were insufficient to read the license plate and vehicle characteristics, and even attempts to enhance the clarity yielded the same result.

All the footage reached the same conclusion.

The prosecution dropped its appeal to the Supreme Court, allowing Mr. Ko to clear his name after three and a half years.

However, he had already suffered significant damage to his livelihood due to the license suspension and had incurred debt as well.

[Ko OO/voice altered: "Without a license, I can't drive after repairs. I have to tell customers to just go. My sales dropped by two-thirds. I was filled with rage."]

Mr. Ko is considering filing a claim for state compensation, but the reality is that he feels burdened by the prospect of going through legal procedures again.

The police responded to criticisms of 'excessive investigation' by stating, "We conducted the investigation to the best of our ability with substantial evidence," and expressed regret over the not guilty verdict.

This is KBS News, Moon Ye-seul reporting.