The number of South Korean police officers punished for drunk driving have increased over the last five years, data released Monday by the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee showed.

According to the National Police Agency data, 349 officers have received disciplinary measures due to DUI -related irregularities from 2014 until this August. The number has increased every year, with 65 officers being punished in 2015, 69 in 2016, 86 in 2017 and 88 in 2018.

So far this year, 31 have been punished for drunk driving, with 10 of them punished after June 25, when a stricter drunk-driving law came into effect.

During the five year period, 77 police officers were forced to leave the force over DUI offenses.

In addition to the DUIs, 25 police officers were caught fleeing the scene after causing an accident under the influence and 21 were caught refusing sobriety tests.

By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)