Police breathalyzer tests unreliable: report

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- Breath tests administered by South Korean police at
road checkpoints have been found to be unreliable, with results of breath and
blood alcohol tests not matching in nearly 98 out of every 100 cases, a police
report showed Monday.

According to the police report submitted to a parliamentary committee, a total of
18,727 drivers took both breath and blood alcohol tests in the first seven months
of this year with just 425 of them, or 2.3 percent, reporting identical results
from the two tests.
The report also noted that the number of drunken drivers resisting the breath
test and demanding a blood test has increased to 48,714 last year from 41,595 in
2006 and 45,383 in 2007.
"As drivers are increasingly reluctant to accept breathalyzer results, police
should regularly collect and monitor the devices to improve their credibility,"
Rep. Kim So-nam, a lawmaker who reviewed the report, said.
In South Korea, drivers are obligated to obey police orders if requested to take
a breath test. If a driver resists the order more than three times, investigators
can book him or her for refusing the sobriety test.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)