A US service member stationed in South Korea was detained by local police after refusing to take a field sobriety test following a minor car accident, authorities said Saturday.

The Air Force staff sergeant was nabbed for bumping into a car parked on a street in Sinsa-dong in southern Seoul Friday evening and refusing police's request for the breathalyzer test, the Gangnam Police Station said.

Police officers came to the scene upon the report from the parked car's owner and caught the staff sergeant after chasing the service member's car about 300 meters, it noted.

The service member was handed over to the US Forces Korea military police, according to officers. (Yonhap)