Actor Yu Ho-jung ended an 11-year hiatus spent as a mother and returned to acting. In the meantime, her husband Lee Jae-ryong was embroiled in controversy over a third drunk-driving incident. He denied drunk driving, but there is no excuse for allegedly causing a traffic accident and fleeing the scene.
The Seoul Gangnam Police Station is under investigation for actor Lee Jae-ryong on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (failure to take measures after an accident, etc.) on the 7th. He is accused of driving a vehicle on a road in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at around 2 a.m. that day, repeatedly striking the center divider and fleeing the scene.
Immediately after the accident, Lee Jae-ryong parked his vehicle at his home, went to an acquaintance's house, and was later arrested by the police. Subsequent breathalyzer testing reportedly showed Lee Jae-ryong's blood alcohol level at a level warranting license suspension.
However, Lee Jae-ryong is said to be claiming, "I was not intoxicated while driving." The police are currently establishing his movements at the time of the accident through the black box. However, questions remain because Lee Jae-ryong left the scene without reporting or taking measures after the accident and was later detained.
Video of the accident involving Lee Jae-ryong was also released. On that day, the cable channel MBN News reported footage showing the vehicle driven by Lee Jae-ryong speeding down a road in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, repeatedly striking the center divider. The vehicle struck dozens of meters of divider and then left the scene. The center divider remained broken at the accident site.
Although Lee Jae-ryong denied drunk driving, there is no excuse for allegedly causing a traffic accident and fleeing the scene. He was previously booked in 2003 for causing an accident while driving under the influence and refusing a breathalyzer test, which resulted in his license being revoked. In August 2019, he received a suspended prosecution for allegedly damaging a bowling alley sign while intoxicated at a location in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. As this is his third scandal, public opinion toward Lee Jae-ryong grew even colder.
While Lee Jae-ryong faces allegations of drunk driving, his wife Yu Ho-jung returned after 11 years not as a wife and mother but as an actor. Yu Ho-jung is starring as Han Seong-mi, a psychiatrist, in the KBS 2TV weekend drama Recipe For Love, which premiered its first episode on Jan. 31. Since this is her first appearance in a drama in 11 years since the 2015 drama drama, it holds great significance for her as an actor.
Yu Ho-jung had devoted herself to her family as a mother and wife rather than as an actor. At a press conference, Yu Ho-jung said about the 11-year hiatus, "Personally, I wanted to spend time with my children and fully take on the role of a mother, so I stepped away from the entertainment industry for a while. When I returned and considered doing a project, I lacked confidence and felt I couldn't do it, but I liked the project. There were many parts I could empathize with, and I felt I could convey warmth, so I chose it." The intervening years were a life as a mother rather than as an actor.
Therefore, the comeback role chosen after 11 years was even more precious and meaningful to Yu Ho-jung. But at this crucial time, Lee Jae-ryong caused controversy by violating the Road Traffic Act.
Furthermore, Yu Ho-jung had mentioned Lee Jae-ryong's drinking problems on past broadcasts. During a 2015 appearance on the SBS variety show Healing Camp, she said she and Lee Jae-ryong fought over drinking after their marriage, and Lee Jae-ryong confessed that his drinking once led to Yu Ho-jung leaving home and rumors of separation. Lee Jae-ryong was aware of his drinking problem. That makes his thoughtlessness, which dampened his wife's comeback, all the more disappointing.
[Photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]