In March, an office worker identified as A was caught in a police sobriety checkpoint during morning rush hour in a school zone in front of Singa Elementary School in Songpa-gu, Seoul. A initially denied drinking, but after police pressed him repeatedly, saying "a blood test will reveal everything," he admitted to drinking the previous night. His blood alcohol concentration was 0.035% after driving about 900 meters from his home to the school — a level subject to a 100-day license suspension. Last month, a senior superintendent identified as B from the Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency was referred to prosecutors on charges of crashing into six vehicles around 7 a.m. while still under the influence of alcohol on an alley in Yongam-dong, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju.
So-called "hangover driving" — getting behind the wheel during the morning commute while still under the influence of alcohol consumed the night before — has surged sharply since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of those caught were at blood alcohol levels warranting license revocation, raising alarms over morning road safety.
According to data on hangover driving crackdowns over the past six years (2020-2025) obtained by The Seoul Economic Daily on Wednesday from the National Police Agency through the office of Rep. Koh Dong-jin of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, a total of 11,816 hangover driving cases were caught between 7 a.m. and noon last year. That marks an 81.2% jump from 6,522 cases in 2021, when gatherings and outside activities were sharply reduced due to COVID-19.
The annual trend shows the increase even more clearly. Hangover driving crackdowns stood at 9,710 in 2020, then dropped to 6,522 in 2021 amid social distancing measures, before climbing back to 9,170 in 2022 as restrictions eased. The figure then jumped to 11,676 in 2023, followed by 11,556 in 2024 and 11,816 in 2025 — marking three consecutive years above 10,000.
The bigger problem is not just the rising number of cases but the severity of intoxication based on blood alcohol concentration. An analysis of hangover drivers caught last year showed 6,071 cases at concentrations of 0.08% or higher — the level for license revocation — along with 196 cases of refusal to take a breath test. That means roughly 1 in 2 hangover drivers was effectively heavily intoxicated while speeding down morning roads. Cases with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.03% or higher but below 0.08%, the level for license suspension, totaled 5,549.
By region, Gyeonggi Province had the highest number of hangover driving cases by an overwhelming margin, with high figures relative to population as well. Last year, 2,682 hangover driving cases were caught within the jurisdiction of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency alone — the most in the nation — followed by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (1,510 cases), the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency (885 cases), and the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency (757 cases). Jeju Island, a popular tourist destination, saw the steepest rise, with cases surging 171% from 189 in 2021 to 512 last year.
"The complacent thinking that 'I'll be fine after sleeping it off' can lead to hangover driving and create innocent victims," Rep. Koh said. "To protect lives and safety, stronger drunk-driving enforcement and greater public awareness are urgently needed."
Experts point out that the most dangerous mindset is drivers getting behind the wheel believing "I slept, so the alcohol must be gone." The current legal threshold for drunk driving — a blood alcohol concentration of 0.03% — can be reached after just one or two shots of soju for an average adult man. "Many drivers think they have fully sobered up because they slept enough, but in reality, that is often not the case," said Kim Tae-wan, a professor in the safety education department at the Incheon branch of the Korea Road Traffic Authority. "In a hangover state, drivers face not only impaired judgment but also the risk of drowsy driving, so it is essential to use public transportation the day after heavy drinking and remain vigilant." He added, "Many ordinary citizens have no idea what 0.03% actually means. People need to recognize that even a small amount of alcohol can leave detectable levels in the body."
