Seoul  - The proportion of female drunken drivers is on the rise in South Korea, where an average of 144 people a day were killed or injured alcohol-related accidents, national police said Tuesday.

According to the drunk driving status report of 2006-08, annual arrests increased from about 350,000 to more than 400,000 this year.

The report said women drunken drivers were the fastest-growing group, although men drivers are the overwhelming majority of offenders.

The data showed the number of women arrested for driving under the influence rose from 31,501 in 2006 to 46,677 through November 2008.

"We urgently need to stop the rise of drunken drivers and its victims through measures, including more strict punishment," said Lim Doo-Sung, a lawmaker who released the report. (dpa)