Lee Jaeryong, Who Denied Drunk Driving, Admits to "Drinking Four Shots of Soju"

Statement Reversed the Day After the Accident... Admits to Drunk Driving

Actor Lee Jaeryong (62), who had previously denied allegations of drunk driving, has reportedly admitted to drinking alcohol during a police investigation. The police are currently reviewing CCTV footage and considering the application of the Widmark formula to determine his blood alcohol concentration at the time of driving.

According to Yonhap News on March 9, Lee Jaeryong's side reportedly stated to the police on March 7, the day after the incident, "I drank four shots of soju and drove. I thought I had only lightly touched the median strip."

Previously, on March 6 at around 11 p.m., Lee Jaeryong crashed his car into a median strip near Cheongdam Station on Seoul Subway Line 7 in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and left the scene. He was caught by the police about three hours later at an acquaintance's house.

At the time of his arrest, his blood alcohol concentration was reportedly at a level warranting license suspension. However, during the police investigation, he had denied drinking before driving, claiming that he drank alcohol at his acquaintance's house after the incident.

The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul is conducting a preliminary investigation into Lee Jaeryong for failure to take measures after an accident under the Road Traffic Act. As Lee has admitted to drinking, the police are also considering whether to charge him with drunk driving.

However, legal experts point out that additional verification is needed to prove the charges, as it must be established that his blood alcohol concentration exceeded 0.03% at the time he was driving.

The police plan to estimate his blood alcohol concentration at the time of driving by applying the Widmark formula, which takes into account the individual's physical characteristics, amount of alcohol consumed, and drinking time. They also intend to verify Lee's movements through analysis of closed-circuit (CC)TV footage.

Park Jeongbo, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said at a regular press briefing on this day, "It appears Mr. Lee will soon comply with the request to appear. The facts will be clarified through the investigation."

Meanwhile, Lee has previously been investigated by the police for alcohol-related incidents. In 2003, his driver's license was revoked after he was booked for refusing a sobriety test following an accident he caused while driving under the influence. In 2019, he was referred to the prosecution on charges of property damage for breaking a signboard while intoxicated at a bowling alley in Gangnam, Seoul, but received a deferred indictment after compensating for the damages.

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