South Korean jailed four years for killing woman in traffic accident

A court in Khanh Hoa Province, central Vietnam handed down the sentence to Kim Sing Jin, 25, for a fatal hit and run accident in Nha Trang two years ago.

Kim Sung Jin (L), 25, stands trial at the Khanh Hoa Province People's Court for a fatal hit and run, May 7, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Khanh Hoa Newspaper.

Jin, director of construction firm Geo Pyeong in Saigon, had gone out with two of his friends, a fellow South Korean and a Singaporean, for dinner in a hotel on Tran Phu Street in Nha Trang on August 21, 2018. At around 3:30 a.m. the next day, he drove a car and hit a woman on her motorbike on the same street. She died instantly.

After realizing that he had hit someone, Jin tried to flee, but was stopped by nearby locals and reported to the police.

Local reports did not mention further details about the victim, only saying that Jin had reached a settlement with her family.

At the time of the accident, Jin had no international driving license, and breathalyzers recorded his alcohol level at 0.58 mg/l.

In Vietnam, the mere presence of alcohol in one's system amounts to a violation of the Law on Preventing Alcohol’s Harmful Effects. An alcohol level of 0.4 mg/l of breath or 80mg/100ml of blood is punishable by fines of up to VND40 million ($1,716) for car drivers and VND8 million for motorbike riders.

Violations of road traffic regulations are punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

Road crashes are a leading cause of death in Vietnam, killing almost one person every hour. More than 17,000 accidents in 2019 claimed 7,624 lives, a 7.1 percent decrease from a year earlier, according to official data.