According to JTBC’s ‘Newsroom’ on the 14th, Son Seung-won held his first trial for a drunk driving accident and hit-and-run (hit-and-run causing injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes) after being caught for his fifth drunk driving offense last November.
Last November, Son was apprehended by police while driving the wrong way on Gangbyeonbuk-ro after crossing a Han River bridge in a heavily intoxicated state. He reportedly told his girlfriend, “My car is at the Yongsan Police Station, come and take out the black box storage device.”
Adding to the shock, Son was caught driving to a drinking party just one week before his trial, despite having a revoked license. Even after his fifth drunk driving offense and receiving a prison sentence, he showed no signs of remorse.
Son had already been revealed to have three prior drunk driving records and faced severe criticism when it was known his license had been revoked. He drew significant attention as the first celebrity prosecuted under the ‘Yoon Chang-ho Act’, which increased penalties for drunk driving. While the first trial found him not guilty of dangerous driving causing injury, the second trial delivered a guilty verdict, leading him to serve 1 year and 6 months in prison.
Under Article 136 of the Military Service Act Enforcement Decree, which applies to “persons sentenced to imprisonment or confinement for 1 year 6 months or more,” he was classified as ‘Grade 5 Wartime Labor Service’ and exempted from military enlistment.
After his release, Son shared updates on his Instagram account in July 2020. He expressed his feelings to his family, including his mother and sibling, saying, “I’m so sorry, I really missed you,” and added, “Mom and my sibling.”
Son Seung-won has appeared in musicals such as ‘Spring Awakening’, ‘Thrill Me’, ‘Hedwig’, ‘The Days’, and ‘Rimbaud’, as well as dramas ‘Age of Youth’ and ‘Welcome to Waikiki’.
