Gyeonghyeon Yi, 23, drove his white Honda Civic through an intersection, across a roundabout, gutter and fence into a large tree last year.

On Tuesday, Yi pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to a drink-driving charge.

The court was told he was looking for his phone in the front passenger seat when the crash happened.

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In court documents, police said they found his car "on a 45-degree angle" facing into a backyard tree at about 3.20am on October 26.

They said tyre marks were seen from an intersection on Erindale Drive, continuing about 100 metres across a roundabout, up a gutter, across an embankment, through the back fence of one house and into the backyard of the home next door.

"Police further observed a mangled road sign, strewn car parts, multiple thick branches from trees and bushes, and a significantly damaged timber fence," a court document said.

Police said they found a Centrelink letter in the front seat addressed to Gyeonghyeon Yi.

Yi had left the scene to locate a phone at his workplace nearby.

Police said they followed an Uber to nearby Erindale Shopping Centre, and found Yi bleeding from his big toe. He declined medical treatment.

Yi admitted to having driven the car and said he had drunk two 350ml bottles of Soju, a South Korean drink with a high alcohol content, at 7.30pm that night.

As Yi held an international licence, he was required to have zero content alcohol in his system while driving.

Magistrate Louise Taylor said the crime "wasn't the most sophisticated offence" as Yi had "left a trail of breadcrumbs behind him".

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She accepted he had paid compensation to repair the damage caused, totalling over $7000, and his car was sent to a wrecker due to the extent of damage it sustained in the crash.

While Yi said he had initially tried to call an Uber after leaving a party, Ms Taylor said he "then made a number of poor decisions".

Unable to drive to class, he deferred his studies at the University of Canberra and worked in a café.

Ms Taylor said Yi had shown "significant work ethic" and genuine remorse.

The court was told he was previously convicted of refusing to submit an alcohol breath test but does not have ongoing alcohol abuse problems.

Yi is subject to a 12-month behaviour order and a nine-month licence disqualification.

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