'A liar who speaks as soon as he opens his mouth' Son Seung-won, a history of poor conduct: drunk driving, hit-and-run, swapping passengers, even tampering with the black box [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Son Seung-won, known as the 'first celebrity under the Yoon Chang-ho Act,' is facing public backlash for displaying poor conduct even after his release from prison.

According to JTBC's 'Newsroom' on the 14th, Son Seung-won faced his first trial on that day on charges of drunk driving and hit-and-run (hit-and-run causing injury under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes). He was recommended a four-year prison sentence by the Prosecution Service.

Son Seung-won was caught for his fifth instance of drunk driving last November. At the time, he had been drinking in Apgujeong and took the wheel around 6 a.m., driving the wrong way on the Gangbyeon Expressway for about two minutes. His blood alcohol concentration was 0.165%, more than double the threshold for license revocation, indicating he was heavily intoxicated.

Son Seung-won displayed poor conduct not only in the past but also during this latest drunk driving incident. He lied to the police, claiming that a substitute driver he had hired abandoned the car and left. He also sent a message to his girlfriend instructing her to go to the Yongsan Police Station and remove the black box's storage device. Notably, Son Seung-won was also caught driving to a drinking session with a revoked license about a week before the trial, on the 8th.

Previously, Son Seung-won submitted multiple letters of remorse and opinion to law enforcement authorities, stating he would dispose of his vehicle to prevent recidivism and that he had visited a hospital to address his drinking problem and would definitely quit drinking. However, instead of showing any sign of remorse, he drove the very vehicle that had been caught for drunk driving. On that day, Son Seung-won held a drinking session with his companions at a bar in Hannam-dong until early morning.

This is not the first time Son Seung-won has committed a heinous crime. In 2018, when he was caught for his fourth drunk driving offense, he fled the scene after a drunk driving accident and lied to the police, claiming that a passenger had been driving.

During his final arguments in the 2018 trial, Son Seung-won said, "The six months I spent in detention were a valuable experience. If given a chance for forgiveness, I will pay my debt to society and serve the community." In this trial, he pleaded, "Please judge me based only on this incident" and "I beg for leniency as a final favor."

A legal expert stated regarding Son Seung-won's punishment this time, "Beyond simply having driven drunk, he even lied about showing remorse, making his conduct even worse. It is only natural that the unlicensed driving will be subject to further investigation."

Son Seung-won attracted attention when he was prosecuted in 2018 as the first celebrity to be charged under the 'Yoon Chang-ho Act,' which strengthened penalties for drunk driving. The first instance court ruled him not guilty of the crime of dangerous driving causing injury, which falls under the 'Yoon Chang-ho Act,' but the second instance court sentenced him guilty. Consequently, Son Seung-won served one year and six months in prison.

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*This content was translated by AI.