Comedian Lee Hyuk-jae, who is accused of driving under the influence and rear-ending a motorcycle stopped at a traffic light, has been forwarded to the prosecutors' office.
The Incheon Yeonsu Police Station announced that it recently booked the 54-year-old Lee without detention on charges of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act and forwarded him to the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office.
Lee is accused of driving while intoxicated at around 10:00 p.m. on September 8 at an intersection near the Korea Coast Guard headquarters in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, and crashing into a motorcycle waiting at a traffic light.
At the time, Lee's blood alcohol concentration was between 0.03% and less than 0.08%, which falls under the threshold for a license suspension.
Lee stated that he reported the incident to the police himself immediately after the crash.
In a media interview at the time, Lee explained that he had consumed a drink or two at a restaurant located 300 to 500 meters from his home.
He claimed that because his house was close by, he got behind the wheel, but the accident occurred as the vehicle moved forward while he was trying to pick up his cell phone that he had dropped inside the car, adding that the distance was too ambiguous to call a designated driver service.
In subsequent interviews, Lee admitted to the drunk driving and stated that it was his own fault.
The police decided not to apply charges of causing injury through occupational negligence under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents against Lee.
As news of Lee's drunk driving accident spread, past controversies drew renewed attention.
Lee, who debuted as an MBC open-recruitment comedian in 1999, gained popularity after winning the grand prize at the 2004 KBS Entertainment Awards.
However, he practically suspended his broadcasting activities after becoming involved in an assault case involving an entertainment establishment employee in 2010.
Since then, he has sparked multiple controversies over financial issues, legal disputes, and unpaid taxes.
In past public remarks, Lee emphasized that when celebrities commit wrongdoings, they must bear not only legal responsibility but also moral responsibility.
(Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News)
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