A prison sentence was handed down to Nam Tae-hyun, a former member of the idol group "Winner," who was sent to trial on a drunk driving charge.
On the 9th, Yang Eun-sang, the single-judge criminal division 11 at the Seoul Western District Court, sentenced Nam, who was indicted on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act for drunk driving and speeding, to one year in prison and a 1 million won fine.
Nam is accused of driving under the influence on April 27 last year on the Gangbyeonbuk-ro in Seoul. His blood alcohol level at the time was measured at 0.122%. That far exceeds the license revocation standard of 0.08%.
Nam was speeding while intoxicated and even caused an accident. The maximum speed on the road at the time was 80 kph, but Nam's vehicle reportedly reached 182 kph. His vehicle hit the median barrier, but there were no casualties.
The court said, "At the time of the crime, the risk to road traffic was very high, given that the defendant was traveling at 182 kph on Gangbyeonbuk-ro, skidded into the fourth lane, and struck the retaining wall outside the fourth lane, so a stern punishment is warranted," adding, "Although the defendant was on probation for violating the Narcotics Control Act, this crime was committed, making the blameworthiness significant."
Nam had previously been sentenced in January 2024 to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges including purchasing and using methamphetamine. Earlier in 2023, Nam was also caught driving about 7 to 8 meters in a drunk state in a residential area in Gangnam District.