Comedian Lee Jin-ho, who was keeping a low profile over an illegal gambling controversy and caused uproar after being caught driving under the influence, has been handed over to prosecutors.
On the 15th, the Yangpyeong Police Station in Gyeonggi said it sent Lee Jin-ho, who was booked without detention on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving), to the prosecution.
Earlier, Lee is accused of driving a vehicle for about 100 km from Incheon to Yangseo-myeon, Yangpyeong County, where his residence is located, in the early hours of the 24th of last month while intoxicated.
After receiving a witness report, the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency requested cooperation from Yangpyeong Police, and Yangpyeong tracked Lee's vehicle route and apprehended him around 3:23 a.m. that same day.
At the time of arrest, Lee's blood alcohol concentration was 0.11%, the level for license cancellation. The police later conducted a blood draw at Lee's request, and the National Forensic Service notified them on the 26th of last month that the blood test showed 0.12%, 0.01 percentage point higher than at the time of arrest.
Lee admitted to the charges during police questioning but is reported not to have given statements about specific motives for the crime.
Also, it shocked the public when it became known that A, who was reported to be Lee's girlfriend, had died recently. Earlier, an entertainment outlet reported that the person who reported Lee's drunk driving was his girlfriend A, and the police maintained that they could not reveal the identity of the drunk driving reporter. However, A is reported to have expressed psychological distress as her name was mentioned in various news reports.
Lee had been keeping a low profile amid the illegal gambling controversy. Last year he admitted to illegal gambling himself, saying, "I took on debts that were hard to bear and received financial help from many people."
Meanwhile, Lee's agency said about the drunk driving, "According to confirmation with Lee himself, he drove under the influence in the early hours of today (Sept. 24). He completed the investigation requested by the local police station at the time of detection and is awaiting disposition." They added, "Lee thinks this is his fault without any excuses or rationalizations and is reflecting deeply. The agency also feels responsible and will ensure Lee faithfully complies with the disposition and faces legal measures."
[Photo] OSEN DB
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