Actor Lee Jae-ryong has acknowledged his failure to take action following a hit-and-run accident in Gangnam, Seoul, but he denied any intention to evade a breathalyzer test.
On November 13, the Seoul Central District Court held a hearing for Lee, who is charged with failing to take action after an accident and obstructing a breathalyzer test under the Road Traffic Act.
During the hearing, Lee's attorney stated, "We acknowledge the charge of failing to take action after the accident, but we deny the charge of obstructing the breathalyzer test, asserting that there was no intention to make the test difficult."
Lee is accused of hitting a central divider while driving near Cheongdam Station in Gangnam around 11 p.m. on March 6 and fleeing the scene. He was indicted without detention in August.
After the accident, he attended another drinking gathering and was apprehended about three hours later at a friend's house.
The prosecution claims that Lee consumed alcohol after the accident, which constitutes the so-called "drunk driving evasion" and has charged him with obstructing the breathalyzer test under the Road Traffic Act. However, they concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove that his blood alcohol concentration was above 0.03% at the time of driving, thus excluding the charge of drunk driving.
The current Road Traffic Act stipulates that anyone who uses alcohol or drugs to obstruct a breathalyzer test can face imprisonment of one to five years or fines ranging from 5 million to 20 million won. This regulation was established following the case of trot singer Kim Ho-joong and has been in effect since June of last year.
Meanwhile, the court has scheduled another hearing for March 24 of next year to hear testimonies from individuals who were present at the drinking gathering with Lee and from police officers who responded to the accident scene.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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