Former Korean Medical Association (KMA) President Roh Hwan-kyu mentioned actor Kim Sae-ron, who recently passed away amid criticism for drunk driving, in a post he made on social media, speculating that it was aimed at Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who has a history of drunk driving.
On the 21st, Roh posted on his Facebook, "Some are the most supported presidential candidates despite drunk driving, while others have faced despair and left this world after just one incident of drunk driving," and he shared a photo of Kim Sae-ron.
The post received comments from netizens stating, "Why do celebrities face such consequences after one mistake, while politicians remain unscathed? This world is unfair."
In the post, Roh did not mention Lee by name. However, among the prominent presidential contenders from both the ruling and opposition parties recently mentioned, only Lee has a history of drunk driving.
Lee, who is currently leading in various public opinion polls regarding suitability for the presidency, received a fine of 1.5 million won for drunk driving in 2004. He was reportedly in a state of intoxication with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.158%, which is above the threshold for license suspension.
Previously, during the incident involving Kim Sae-ron in May 2022, the Kim Sae-ron Gallery issued a statement linking the drunk driving incident to Representative Lee Jae-myung.
The Kim Sae-ron Gallery stated, "Representative Lee was also fined for drunk driving in the past, but he received over 47% of the votes and more than 16 million citizens supported him in the presidential election," and earnestly urged Kim Sae-ron not to be too disheartened and to quietly move forward towards tomorrow.
Kim Sae-ron was found dead at home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 16th. The police stated that while no suicide note was found, there was no evidence of a crime.