So-called "first celebrity punished under the Yoon Chang-ho Law" Son Seung-won, 36, was indicted on drunken driving charges, received a one-year prison sentence at the first trial, and was taken into custody in court. This is the fifth time being caught for drunken driving.
On the 11th, Kim Hyeong-seok, Director General judge of the Criminal Division 5 single bench at the Seoul Western District Court, sentenced Son Seung-won, who was indicted on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (drunken driving) and instigating the concealment of evidence, to one year in prison. The court took Son into custody in court, citing risk of flight.
For his girlfriend, a person surnamed Kim, 30, who was indicted alongside him, the court found her guilty on suspicion of evidence concealment and suspended the sentence for a fine of 1.5 million won.
A suspension of sentence is a system in which guilt is recognized but the pronouncement of the sentence is deferred in consideration of various circumstances such as the context of the crime. If two years pass from the date the suspension is granted, it is deemed dismissed.
The court noted, "Defendant Son drove a vehicle while intoxicated, and when arrested in the act, he instigated his girlfriend to conceal the black box storage device, among other things, making the crime grave."
It continued, "The defendant drove the wrong way on the Gangbyeonbuk-ro while heavily intoxicated, and after a police stop, argued with a designated driver and even falsely stated that the driver took the vehicle," adding, "The blood alcohol concentration was very high, and there is a record of multiple criminal punishments for drunken driving before."
However, it added, "Although belatedly, the defendant has admitted the crime and shown remorse, and fortunately there was no drunken driving accident," and "After the concealment of evidence was uncovered, relevant evidence was submitted, and we considered factors such as pleas for leniency from family and acquaintances."
Immediately after the sentencing, when the court asked for his opinion regarding detention, Son appealed, "I acknowledge all the charges for the wrongdoing I committed and deeply reflect," adding, "If I am detained now, my family will suffer the pain of having to provide for our livelihood. I have no intention of fleeing or destroying evidence, so please allow me to prepare an appeal while not in custody."
But the court said, "We understand your difficult circumstances, but since a prison term has been imposed, we will detain you."
Son was arrested in November last year for driving the wrong way on the Gangbyeonbuk-ro while intoxicated and was indicted in February this year. At the time, Son's blood alcohol concentration was 0.165%, about twice the 0.08% level for license revocation.
Previously, Son was caught twice for drunken driving in 2015 alone and received summary orders. Then in 2018, he was indicted on charges of crashing into a taxi while drunk, fleeing, and causing another accident, and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison.
At the time, the court applied the charge of injury by dangerous driving under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, known as the "Yoon Chang-ho Law." Among celebrities, Son was the first case to which this law was applied.