The news of that day has passed, but its meaning remains with us today. "That Day, Today" reads the present through the records of the past. — Editor's note
"Please clear my daughter's name."
On Sept. 13, 2021, the sobs of a mother who had lost her daughter filled a courtroom. A tragedy that began on a trip to Jeju Island marking the couple's 300th day together came to light only at trial.
The case dates back to Nov. 9, 2019, when A, 32, and B, 28, traveled to Jeju Island. After renting a Mustang convertible and touring tourist sites and Dongmun Market together, the two were drinking soju on a bench at a beach that evening when A, in tears, said they should break up once the trip ended. B refused to accept it, saying it was just something A was saying because of the alcohol.
Events unfolded past midnight on Nov. 10. Shortly after A drove off at about 12:45 a.m., a seat belt warning chime sounded inside the car. A said, "You're not wearing your seat belt," and B answered, "Right." At that moment, A accelerated to 114.8 kilometers per hour on a road with a 50 km/h speed limit.
The car struck a curb, a stone wall and a parked farm tractor in succession, and B, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle. A's blood alcohol level at the time was 0.118%.
B was rushed to a hospital and underwent several major operations but never regained consciousness. After remaining in a vegetative state, B died of sudden death caused by severe head trauma at 5:10 a.m. on Aug. 23, 2020. After the crash, A returned to Seoul and visited B's hospital only twice, and it also emerged that A had secretly changed the passcode to B's home.
Murder or Accident? A Two-Year Court Battle
On June 17, 2021, the first hearing was held for A, who had been indicted on a murder charge without physical detention. Prosecutors argued that A could have foreseen that a victim not wearing a seat belt could be thrown from the car in a high-speed crash.
At a hearing on Sept. 13 that year, B's mother and older sister appeared as witnesses and called for a severe punishment. The sister testified that a recording made just before the crash captured the sound of acceleration and her sister's scream after the exchange about the seat belt.
On Dec. 16, 2021, a lower court acquitted A of murder and recognized only the drunk driving charge, handing down a one-year prison term suspended for two years. Prosecutors appealed and added a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, and on Sept. 28, 2022, the first criminal division of the Gwangju High Court's Jeju branch sentenced A to four years in prison and ordered A detained in court.
On Jan. 12, 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed the prosecution's appeal, finalizing the four-year sentence. Intent to kill was not established, but driving while intoxicated and accelerating sharply with a partner who was not wearing a seat belt, causing that person's death, was punished as causing death by dangerous driving.
