'Drunk Driving Accident' Actress Kim Sae-ron Appears at First Trial Today

The first trial of actress Kim Sae-ron (23), who was charged with driving under the influence and crashing into roadside trees and a transformer, is set to take place.

Actor Kim Sae-ron [Image source=Yonhap News]

At 10 a.m. on the 8th, Judge Lee Hwan-gi of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 4 will preside over Kim Sae-ron's first hearing on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving and failure to take action after an accident). According to the defendant's obligation to appear at the trial date, Kim Sae-ron must appear in court in person.

The 20-something passenger who was in Kim Sae-ron's vehicle at the time will also stand trial on charges of aiding and abetting drunk driving on the same day.

Kim Sae-ron was prosecuted for causing an accident around 8 a.m. on May 18 last year in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where she drove under the influence and repeatedly crashed into guardrails and roadside trees.

At the time, Kim Sae-ron's vehicle also collided with a transformer, cutting off electricity supply to 57 nearby stores and other locations, which was restored after about three hours. During this process, some surrounding shops experienced power outages, resulting in losses such as the inability to process card payments.

Because Kim Sae-ron refused to undergo a blood alcohol concentration test, the police requested a blood test from the National Forensic Service. The test results showed a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 0.2%, well above the license cancellation threshold of 0.08%.

The day after the accident, Kim Sae-ron posted on her social media account, saying, "I caused harm to many people including nearby shop owners, citizens, and those who helped with the restoration due to my wrong judgment and actions," and expressed her sincere apologies. It is also known that she visited the buildings and shops that suffered financial damage to apologize and attempted to compensate for the losses.

The prosecution received the case from the police and indicted Kim Sae-ron without detention on December 16 last year, about six months later.

Kim Sae-ron, who debuted as a child actress, appeared in films such as "Ajeossi," "Neighbor," and "Babi," as well as dramas like "The Queen's Classroom" and "The Witch's Diner." After the accident, she withdrew from dramas and suspended her entertainment activities. In November last year, it was reported that she was working part-time at a cafe due to financial difficulties.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.