Driver who fell asleep behind wheel, killing police officer, receives suspended sentence
Published: 30 Apr. 2026, 12:50
Updated: 30 Apr. 2026, 13:17
![A car that has adaptive cruise control [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/30/8a57149d-a52a-4401-bf4d-bafa5d2ad8b9.jpg)
A car that has adaptive cruise control [JOONGANG ILBO]
A driver who fell asleep behind the wheel while the vehicle was on adaptive cruise control, and killed a police officer and a tow truck driver, has avoided prison after a court handed down a suspended sentence, according to judicial officials on Thursday.
The Jeonju District Court said that it sentenced the driver to one year and two months in prison, suspended for three years, on charges of causing death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.
“The defendant's drowsy driving caused irreversible harm, and their culpability is grave,” the court said, but it took into account the driver's admission of guilt and a settlement reached with the bereaved families.
The driver was indicted after ramming their SUV into a police officer and a tow truck driver who were attending to a previously reported accident near the Seohaean Expressway's Gochang junction in North Gyeongsang at around 1:51 a.m. on Jan. 4.
Investigators found the driver had been traveling at 128.7 kilometers (90 miles) per hour while asleep, with the vehicle's adaptive cruise control system active. Adaptive cruise control is a driver assistance feature that automatically maintains a set speed for the car and keeps it a safe distance from the vehicle ahead, using sensors or cameras to detect traffic. Adaptive cruise control, however, is not the same as a self-driving system; the driver must remain alert to steer.
The police officer killed in the accident was posthumously promoted one rank to superintendent and awarded the Green Stripes Order of Service Merit by the government.
![A memorial ceremony is held in honor of a police officer, who died in an accident involving a driver who was sleeping behind the wheel, in Jeonju, North Jeolla, on Jan. 16. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/30/039b2690-4696-462d-9fd3-a79849e25cde.jpg)
A memorial ceremony is held in honor of a police officer, who died in an accident involving a driver who was sleeping behind the wheel, in Jeonju, North Jeolla, on Jan. 16. [YONHAP]
JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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