'Third Drunk Driving Scandal': The Arrogance of a Repeat Offender… Lee Jae-ryong Appears in Court with Hands in Pockets [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Talent Lee Jae-ryong (62) admitted to the charge of failing to take action after a hit-and-run accident at his first trial, but denied the so-called "soju drinking" charge.

Judge Lee Jae-wook, head judge of Criminal Division 10 at the Seoul Central District Court, conducted the first hearing on the 13th for Lee Jae-ryong, who was indicted on charges including violating the Road Traffic Act (failure to take action after an accident).

On this day, Lee Jae-ryong appeared in court wearing a black suit and a mask. Notably, despite reporters gathering around him due to this being his third alcohol-related incident, he drew attention by walking calmly with his hands in his pockets. He also remained silent when asked by reporters whether he admitted to the charges.

The prosecution revealed on this day that Lee Jae-ryong fled after causing the accident and drank an additional 130ml of soju at a restaurant for the purpose of interfering with a breathalyzer test.

In response, Lee Jae-ryong's legal representative stated, "As submitted in our opinion letter, we admit to the charge of failing to take action after the accident, but we deny the interference with the breathalyzer test, stating that there was no intent to cause difficulty."

They added, "The defendant had someone drinking with him at the time. We will apply to have Mr. Kwon, whom we briefly noted in the form of an investigation report, appear as a witness for our side."

The court decided to hold the next hearing at 4:00 p.m. on March 24 of next year, and to conduct witness examinations of Officer Kim, who responded to the scene at the time of the accident, and Mr. Kwon, an acquaintance who drank with Lee Jae-ryong.

Lee Jae-ryong is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol around 11:05 p.m. on March 6 near Cheongdam Station on Seoul Subway Line 7, repeatedly hitting the central divider, and then fleeing.

He was arrested by police at an acquaintance's home around 2:00 a.m. the following day (March 7). It is reported that his blood alcohol concentration level during the breathalyzer test at the time was at the license suspension level (0.03~0.08%).

Investigations revealed that there had been another drinking session before he moved to an acquaintance's home after the accident, leading to suspicions of so-called "soju drinking," where he drank additional alcohol to obscure his blood alcohol level at the time of the accident.

Lee Jae-ryong initially claimed he was drinking at an acquaintance's home, but later reversed his statement during the investigation, saying, "I drank four glasses of soju and then drove."

However, the prosecution (at the time) excluded the drunk driving charge on the 5th of this month due to limitations in proof, and sent Lee Jae-ryong to trial without detention on charges of interfering with a breathalyzer test and failing to take action after an accident.

It is reported that the prosecution determined it was not clearly proven whether Lee Jae-ryong's blood alcohol concentration while driving was above 0.03% (license suspension level), based on estimates using the "Widmark formula."

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-ryong had his license revoked after causing a drunk driving accident in Gangnam-gu, Seoul in 2003.

In 2019, he was also given a deferred prosecution for property damage charges after destroying a standing sign at a bowling alley in Gangnam while intoxicated.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original