'Fifth Drunk Driving' Son Seung-won Sentenced on June 11.. Prosecution Service Seeks 4-Year Prison Term [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Son Seung-won, known as the first celebrity prosecuted under the 'Yoon Chang-ho Act,' is set to face sentencing for his fifth alleged drunk driving offense on June 11.

On the 14th, Son appeared at the first trial for drunk driving and hit-and-run charges (hit-and-run causing injury under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes), held before the Seoul Western District Court's Criminal Division 5. The Prosecution Service sought a four-year prison sentence.

The court immediately concluded the arguments and is scheduled to deliver its verdict on June 11.

According to police and the Prosecution Service, Son was found to have driven the vehicle around 6 a.m. after drinking at Apgujeong the previous November, traveling in the wrong direction on the Gangbyeon Expressway for about two minutes. At the time, his blood alcohol concentration was 0.165%, more than double the threshold for license revocation, indicating a state of severe intoxication.

Notably, Son displayed particularly poor conduct during the process of being caught for drunk driving. He lied to 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 storage device from his car. Furthermore, Son was caught driving to a drinking session with his license already revoked on the 8th, about a week before the trial.

Previously, Son 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, he still drove the vehicle that was caught for drunk driving and held a drinking session with his companions until dawn at a bar in Hannam-dong on this day.

This is not the first time Son has been charged with contempt of court. In 2018, when his fourth drunk driving offense was detected, Son fled after a drunk driving accident and lied to police, claiming a passenger was driving. Later, during his final arguments in the trial at that time, he 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 today's trial, he said, "Please judge me based only on this incident" and "I beg for leniency as a final favor."

Son was the first celebrity to be prosecuted under the 'Yoon Chang-ho Act,' which strengthened penalties for drunk driving when he was tried in 2018. 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 found him guilty, and he served one year and six months in prison.

Son made his debut in 2009 with the musical 'Spring Awakening' and has since appeared in numerous dramas, including 'Remember You,' 'Lawyer Jo Deul-ho of the Neighborhood,' and 'Hello, My Twenties!'

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*This content was translated by AI.