The first trial of actor Lee Jae-ryong, 62, who was sent to trial on charges of leaving the scene after causing a traffic accident in Seoul's Gangnam, will be held in October. Lee is also accused of obstructing a breathalyzer test by using the "sul-tag-i" method of drinking more alcohol after the accident.
According to legal sources, Chief Judge Lee Jae-wook of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 10 designated Lee's first court hearing on charges of failure to take measures after an accident under the Road Traffic Act and obstruction of a breathalyzer test for Oct. 16 at 10:20 a.m.
Lee is accused of driving a vehicle and hitting a median strip near Cheongdam Station in Gangnam District, Seoul, at around 11 p.m. on Mar. 6, then leaving the scene.
Right after the accident, Lee attended another drinking gathering and was apprehended by police at an acquaintance's home about three hours later. Police concluded Lee attempted "sul-tag-i" and forwarded the case with a drunk driving charge as well. "Sul-tag-i" refers to drinking additional alcohol after an accident to make it difficult to determine whether the driver had been drinking at the time of driving.
However, prosecutors declined to indict on the drunk driving charge, saying it was not clearly proven that Lee's blood alcohol concentration at the time of driving was at or above the 0.03% threshold for punishment, based on an estimate using the Widmark formula. The Widmark formula is a method of estimating changes in blood alcohol concentration over time by considering the drinker's body, drinking time, and the amount of alcohol consumed.
Instead, prosecutors indicted Lee without detention on the 5th on charges of failure to take measures after an accident and obstruction of a breathalyzer test. The amended Road Traffic Act, which punishes obstructing measurement by additional drinking after an alcohol-related accident, was prepared following the case of singer Kim Ho-joong and has been in effect since June last year.