A South Korean court has sentenced a man to eight years behind bars for killing a Taiwanese student in a road accident while driving under the influence last November.  

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday handed the verdict against the 52-year-old, which is two years heavier than what the prosecution had sought. 

The court said the accused claimed the life of a 28-year-old, saying it is difficult to fathom the shock, pain and grief the bereaved family must have felt when they heard the tragic news from overseas. 

The court also said the accused should have paid more attention to driving knowing his vision was frail, but that he drank before driving was cause for blame. 

The man had been punished twice before on DUI charges in 2012 and 2017, in which he had paid several million won in fines. 

The court added eight years is the maximum sentence handed in similar cases under the law. 

The case drew public attention after an online petition launched by South Korean friends of the deceased drew more than 238-thousand signatures, meeting the requirement of 200-thousand for the top office’s response.