Comedian-turned-MC Jang Won (Hong Jang-won) confessed to drunk driving and has temporarily suspended his activities.
On the 18th, Hong Jang-won posted a lengthy handwritten message on the MZ Planning YouTube channel community. In the post, he confessed, "On June 28th while returning home, I was caught in a drunk driving crackdown with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.065 near my house."
There were no accidents or injuries, and he was caught by the police while driving alone without any passengers. Hong Jang-won stated, "Legal proceedings are currently underway."
Along with this, Hong Jang-won confessed, "As a broadcaster living on the trust and support of viewers, it was behavior that should never have been done, and moreover, I had also received a license suspension and fine 19 years ago in 2006."
Hong Jang-won said, "Drunk driving is a clearly defined crime that cannot be justified with any excuse or reasoning, yet I committed it," adding, "I confess all my sins to you and sincerely apologize. I have committed an irremediable wrong. I am truly sorry."
He also expressed fear about revealing the facts of his drunk driving and being caught late, saying, "I was afraid of betraying those who had supported me. I was afraid of hearing criticism from people in the world. I was afraid of the fact that my one mistake had destroyed the workplaces and livelihoods of the staff and numerous grants."
Hong Jang-won described it as a "personal deviation stemming from my choice" and requested, "Since I did not inform those around me, I earnestly ask that all criticism and blame be directed at me."
He plans to donate the revenue earned during the approximately 50 days he hid his drunk driving activities back to society. At the same time, he added, "I will close the channel and broadcasting activities and take an indefinite period for reflection and self-restraint."
Meanwhile, Hong Jang-won is a former comedian of SBS's 9th public recruitment and is currently active on YouTube and podcasts.