Actor Lee Jae-ryong (62) has been handed over to prosecutors on charges stemming from a drunk driving accident. The Seoul Gangnam Police Station said on the 18th that Lee was sent to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office without detention on suspicion of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act, failing to take necessary measures after a crash, and obstructing a breath test.
Police say that around 11 p.m. on the 6th, near Cheongdam Station on Subway Line 7 in Gangnam, Seoul, Lee crashed into a median divider while driving under the influence and then left the scene. He allegedly parked the car at his home, went to another drinking gathering, and was arrested at a friend’s house about three hours later.
Lee initially denied driving under the influence. The next day, he reportedly changed his statement, saying he had “four shots of soju and drove.” He also said he thought he had “only brushed against the median divider.” Investigators believe Lee drank more alcohol after the crash to make it harder to measure his blood alcohol level at the time of the accident. They applied the so-called “post-crash drinking” tactic to add the charge of obstructing an alcohol test.
According to media reports, after the crash Lee went to a restaurant near his home, where he and acquaintances ordered one bottle of distilled liquor and skirt steak. Police interviewed people who were with him to determine whether there was an intent to blur the alcohol level from the time of the accident and erase evidence of drunk driving.
Four days after the crash, on the 10th, Lee was questioned by police as a suspect. During that questioning, he reportedly admitted to drunk driving.
A clause penalizing “post-crash drinking” was added following a 2024 case involving trot singer Kim Ho-joong. Article 44-5 of the Road Traffic Act states that a person for whom there is reasonable cause to believe they drove under the influence must not drink more alcohol or use drugs with the purpose of making measurement difficult.
Lee has previously faced controversy related to alcohol. In 2003, his license was revoked after he caused a drunk driving accident in Gangnam and refused a breath test. In 2019, he received a suspended indictment for knocking over and damaging a bowling alley sign in Gangnam while intoxicated.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)