Actor Lee Jae-ryong was handed over to prosecutors after a drunk-driving accident and amid allegations of so-called "sultagi."
On the 18th, the Gangnam police station in Seoul said it sent Lee Jae-ryong to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office without detention on charges of drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act, failure to take action after an accident, and obstructing a breathalyzer test.
According to the police, Lee is accused of driving a vehicle near Cheongdam Station in Gangnam District, Seoul, around 11 p.m. on the 6th, crashing into the center divider and then leaving the scene.
After the accident, he is said to have parked his car at his home in Cheongdam-dong, visited an acquaintance's house, and was arrested by police around 2 a.m. the next day. A breath test administered at the time showed his blood alcohol concentration at a level that would suspend his license.
Lee denied drinking immediately after the accident but later reversed his statement during police questioning, saying "I drank four glasses of soju." However, regarding drinking additional alcohol at a restaurant after the accident, he reportedly explained that "it was a previously planned appointment," saying it was not an intentional attempt at "sultagi."
However, on the 10th, police summoned Lee as a suspect for questioning and determined there were signs that he drank more alcohol after the accident to distort his blood alcohol level at the time of the crash, adding the charge of obstructing a breath test. The police are reported to have made this determination after investigating the circumstances with the companions who were at the drinking party.
"Sultagi" refers to the act of drinking additional alcohol after a drunk-driving accident to make it difficult to determine the accurate blood alcohol concentration at the time of the crash. The act was included as a punishable offense after the so-called "Kim Ho-joong prevention law" was enacted following singer Kim Ho-joong's 2024 case, and it has been in effect since June last year.
Meanwhile, Lee has a prior record of police investigations related to alcohol. In 2003 he was booked on charges of drunk driving and refusing a breath test, resulting in license revocation, and in 2019 he received a suspended indictment for property damage after damaging a bowling alley sign while intoxicated.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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