Actor Yu Ho-jeong returned to television drama after 11 years and has been active, but her husband, actor Lee Jae-ryong, instead of supporting her, caused trouble by being sent to the prosecution for drunk driving.
Yu Ho-jeong recently returned to the small screen after 11 years through KBS 2TV weekend drama Recipe For Love. She plays Han Seong-mi, a psychiatrist, showing steady acting and receiving favorable reviews from viewers, and the drama is also cruising along, recording a peak viewership rating of 18%.
While she marked a successful return after such a long hiatus, the disappointment deepened as her husband Lee Jae-ryong's drunk driving controversy erupted.
On the 18th, the Seoul Gangnam Police Station sent Lee Jae-ryong to the prosecution without detention on charges of drunk driving, failure to take measures after an accident, and obstructing a breathalyzer under the Road Traffic Act.
According to the police, on the evening of the 6th at around 11 p.m., Lee Jae-ryong is accused of driving a vehicle on a road near Cheongdam Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, striking the central divider and leaving the scene. He is said to have parked the vehicle at his home and visited an acquaintance's house, and was arrested by police the next day at around 2 a.m. The blood alcohol concentration measured at the time was at the level for license suspension.
Lee Jae-ryong initially denied drinking immediately after the accident, but later reversed his statement in the investigation, saying, "I drank four shots of soju." In particular, suspicions of "drinking to alter results" were raised as evidence emerged that he drank additional alcohol after the accident.
Regarding this, Lee Jae-ryong's side said, "It was a prearranged appointment," and argued that it was not an intentional attempt to destroy evidence, but the police applied the charge of obstructing a breathalyzer, judging that the additional drinking after the accident was an act to obscure the blood alcohol concentration at the time.
"Drinking to alter results" refers to the act of drinking more alcohol after a drunk driving accident to make it difficult to accurately measure the blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident. The act was included as a punishable offense after the so-called "Kim Ho-joong prevention law" was introduced following singer Kim Ho-joong's 2024 case, and Lee Jae-ryong is also expected to be subject to that law.
In particular, criticism has intensified because Lee Jae-ryong has a past record of causing controversy related to drunk driving and related incidents. Reactions say the incident not only damages his image but also casts a shadow on Yu Ho-jeong, who is actively promoting her activities.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]