Appeals against administrative dispositions

Writing a DUI Apology Letter and Petition Letters — 60-Day Objection to License Revocation, Mitigation Requirements and Attachments

When you seek mitigation after a license revocation or suspension for drunk driving, an apology letter and petition letters from family or your workplace are attachments that explain your livelihood circumstances and efforts to prevent a recurrence. An objection must be filed with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan/Provincial Police Agency within 60 days of receiving the disposition (Road Traffic Act Article 94), and anyone with a blood alcohol concentration over 0.1%, a drunk-driving accident causing injury, refusal of a breath test, or a prior drunk-driving record is excluded from objection mitigation (Enforcement Rule Annex 28).

Procedure

Procedure type
  • Appeal Difficulty High

    Submitting an opinion, objection or administrative appeal against a disposition or decision already made, or applying for damage relief or dispute mediation. The reviewing body decides after examining the facts and the law, so preparing supporting evidence is important.

We will prepare an objection form and an administrative appeal request form for driver's license cancellation or suspension. Applications for suspension of execution are classified into separate types.

Scope & fee
Police-issued driver's license disposition objection only
We will review the license disposition and driving/living data of 1 driver and prepare an objection to the National Police Agency and a statement of reasons for reduction of sentence. administrative appeals and suspensions of execution are not included. Scope of writing: 1 type of driving history, livelihood, reason for reduction of penalty, 5 pages per type. It does not include in-office submissions.
Official fee source ↗
Administrative appeal merits petition; stay-of-execution application excluded
We will review the evidence of 1 license disposition and prepare a request for administrative appeal on the merits. It does not include applications for suspension of execution. Scope of preparation: 1 type of administrative appeal claim, 5 pages per type. It does not include in-office submissions.
Official fee source ↗
Administrative appeal and administrative appeal commission stay-of-execution request
We will prepare the merits of the administrative appeal for 1 license disposition and an application for suspension of execution by the Administrative Appeals Committee. It does not include court applications and appeals to the new Police Service. Scope of preparation: administrative appeal request form (1 type, 5 pages per type), Administrative Appeals Commission application for suspension of execution (1 type, per type), 5 pages per type. It does not include in-office submissions.
Stay-of-execution documents for an existing driver's license administrative appeal
We will review the records of the original case and emergency damage data that have already been filed and prepare an application for suspension of execution. It does not include filing of new merits and independent motions without merits. Scope of writing: Reasons for application for suspension of execution Type 1, 3 pages per type. It does not include in-office submissions.
Official fee source ↗
Include the objection request as well
We will prepare the National Police Agency objection, administrative appeal merits, and execution suspension documents for 1 license disposition to the extent of actual progress. Do not duplicate common documents. Scope of writing: National Police Agency objection statement (1 type/5 pages per category), reasons for requesting administrative appeal (1 type/5 pages per category), grounds for application for suspension of execution (1 type/type) (3 pages per category). It does not include in-office submissions.
Official fee source ↗
  1. 1. Check the disposition and the exclusion grounds

    Check the date you received the license disposition, your blood alcohol concentration and whether there was an accident. Mitigation applies to people for whom driving is an important means of supporting the family, model drivers who have done traffic volunteer work for at least 3 years, and similar cases; you are excluded if any of the following applies: over 0.1%, a drunk-driving accident causing injury, refusing a breath test, fleeing or assaulting a police officer, 3 or more injury accidents within 5 years, or a drunk-driving record within the past 5 years (Enforcement Rule Annex 28, item 1(f)). From February 25, 2027, the last criterion changes to a drunk-driving record after June 30, 2001.

  2. 2. Prepare livelihood documents

    Show that driving is essential to your work with an employment certificate, work records stating driving duties, or business documents. Show dependents with a family relation certificate, and organize income and loan repayment burdens with pay statements and debt records.

  3. 3. Write the apology letter

    State the date and circumstances of the stop and the measured level exactly as on the disposition, and acknowledge the wrongdoing before any explanation. Then describe the concrete difficulties losing the license causes for your livelihood and what you have actually done to prevent a recurrence (completing education, records of using designated driver services, etc.).

  4. 4. Obtain petition letters

    Ask people who know your situation directly, such as family members, your supervisor or business partners, to write petition letters in their own names, and attach a copy of each writer's ID. Each letter should state the writer's relationship and what they have personally seen so the letters do not repeat the same content.

  5. 5. Submit the objection or the administrative appeal

    File the objection within 60 days of receiving the disposition on Form No. 87 with the license disposition attached to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan/Provincial Police Agency, and the Driver's License Administrative Disposition Objection Review Committee reviews it (Enforcement Rule Article 95). If mitigated, a revocation becomes 110 disposition penalty points and a suspension is reduced to 1/2 of the days, and you may still file an administrative appeal within 90 days of being notified of the objection result (Road Traffic Act Article 94(3)).

Required documents

  • Driver's license disposition objection form (Enforcement Rule of the Road Traffic Act, Form No. 87) or administrative appeal petition (Enforcement Rule of the Administrative Appeals Act, Form No. 30)
  • Driver's license disposition (disposition decision notice)
  • Your apology letter
  • Petition letters from family or workplace contacts with copies of the writers' IDs
  • Employment certificate or other documents showing that driving is your means of livelihood
  • Family relation certificate, pay statements and debt records
  • Traffic volunteer work certificate or commendation (if applicable)

Fees

Administrative service fee
  • Police-issued driver's license disposition objection only from KRW 600,000
  • Administrative appeal merits petition; stay-of-execution application excluded from KRW 600,000
  • Administrative appeal and administrative appeal commission stay-of-execution request from KRW 700,000
  • Stay-of-execution documents for an existing driver's license administrative appeal from KRW 500,000
  • Include the objection request as well from KRW 1,100,000
All administrative service fees exclude 10% VAT.

There is no fee for the objection form (Form No. 87). Our office fee starts from the amount shown above and may vary depending on whether you proceed with an objection only or also an administrative appeal, and on the volume of attachments; we will give you an exact quote after reviewing your documents.

Legal basis and review date

  • Road Traffic Act, Article 94
  • Enforcement Rule of the Road Traffic Act, Article 95 and Form No. 87
  • Enforcement Rule of the Road Traffic Act, Annex 28, item 1(f)
  • Administrative Appeals Act, Article 27
  • Enforcement Rule of the Administrative Appeals Act, Form No. 30

Checked against the statutes on

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

  • The 60-day objection period runs from the date you received the disposition, so record that date first.
  • If the circumstances or measured level in your apology letter differ from the disposition, it loses credibility, so write them exactly as stated on the disposition.

Frequently asked questions

Will submitting a DUI apology letter alone reduce a license revocation?
No, an apology letter alone does not lead to mitigation. Objection mitigation is reviewed only when there is a mitigation ground, such as driving being your means of livelihood, and no exclusion ground applies; the apology letter is an attachment explaining those circumstances (Enforcement Rule of the Road Traffic Act, Annex 28).
Can I not file an objection if my blood alcohol concentration was over 0.1%?
You can submit the objection form, but you are excluded from mitigation under Annex 28. In that case, to dispute whether the disposition was within discretion, you file a separate administrative appeal and the commission decides after considering all circumstances.
What is the deadline for a DUI objection?
Within 60 days of receiving the disposition (Road Traffic Act Article 94(1)). An administrative appeal must be filed within 90 days of learning of the disposition and within 180 days of the disposition, and if you filed an objection, you may file within 90 days of being notified of the result.
Who should write petition letters?
Family members, supervisors or coworkers, and business partners who know your situation directly. Each writer should state their name, relationship and what they have personally seen, and attach a copy of their ID so the content is credible.
What changes if the objection is accepted?
A revocation is reduced to 110 disposition penalty points, and a suspension is reduced to 1/2 of the days (Enforcement Rule Annex 28, item 1(f)). Whether to mitigate is decided by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan/Provincial Police Agency after review and resolution by the objection review committee.
Can an administrative agent help with the apology letter and objection?
Yes. Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office checks the exclusion grounds, organizes livelihood documents, the apology letter and petition letters, and prepares and submits the objection and administrative appeal petition on your behalf.

Contact us

Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office in Songdo, Incheon prepares and submits administrative documents and explains the procedure. If your situation is similar, send us a message.

📍 2697, 26F POSCO Tower-Songdo, 165 Convensia-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea · 📞 010-3374-2687 · 🌐 hwangadmin.com

This guide is general information based on public sources. Requirements, documents and deadlines differ by case and by the competent agency, so please confirm them before you proceed.