By Ian Werther in News — 13 Mar 2026

Seoul Gangnam actor Lee Jae-ryong faces obstruction of breath-test charge in DUI case.

Seoul’s Gangnam Police have added a new charge to actor Lee Jae-ryong’s case, accusing him of obstructing a breath-alcohol test in connection with a drunk-driving incident.

Lee, 62, allegedly drove under the influence around 11 p.m. on the 6th near Samseong Jungang Station on Seoul Subway Line 9 in Gangnam, rammed a central divider, and fled the scene. He was arrested about three hours later, around 2 a.m. on the 7th, after staying at a friend’s home. At the time, his blood-alcohol level was reported to be at a threshold that would warrant a license suspension.

I am at the observatory for N-Seoul Tower, about 350 meters over the city.
I have a good view of some modern-day developments on the southern side of Seoul, including the Olympic Stadium, Lotte World, and COEX. Closer to me are the luxury apartments and shopping areas of Apgujeong-dong. In any case, it's all Gangnam Style here.
I can also see Seongsu Bridge, which opened in 1979, and due to shoddy construction quality, collapsed during a morning rush hour in 1994, killing about 30. Its collapse was a warning to South Korea's construction industry, which had emphasized speed and efficiency over quality through the building boom of the industrial era. In the wake of the Seongsu Bridge collapse, all Seoul bridges were inspected, and a 13-year-old rail bridge was found so unsafe that it was demolished and rebuilt in 1997.
The 2007 collapse of I-35 bridge in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA is often compared to the Seongsu Bridge collapse, though in case of the I-35, the culprit was lax maintenance.

Back to Seoul, another building collapse, Sampoong Department Store in 1995, was also attributed to shoddy construction, as well as the store management's cavalier attitude toward safety and maintenance; over 500 people were killed. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Police suspect Lee consumed more alcohol after the crash to hinder testing, a tactic referred to in Korean as “drinking to avoid testing.” They plan to estimate his BAC using the Widmark formula and will question accompanying people who were with him at the time.

In initial police interviews, Lee denied driving while intoxicated, saying he had been drinking after the accident. Later reports quote him as saying he had four cups of soju and drove, believing he had only lightly brushed the central divider.

The History of Apple Pie - A black and white portrait photo of artist Kelly Lee Owens in 2013. Owens previously played bass in the indie band 'The History of Apple Pie'. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The current Road Traffic Act punishes attempts to obstruct alcohol testing with 1 to 5 years in prison or fines from 5 million to 20 million won. The rule was created after a high-profile drunk-driving and flight case involving trot singer Kim Ho-joong and took effect in June last year.

For U.S. readers, the case highlights Korea’s stricter enforcement of DUI and test-obstruction laws, a trend that can affect international collaborations in the entertainment industry, cross-border talent engagements, and the risk management of American companies working in Korea. It also illustrates how Korean authorities apply BAC calculations in real-time investigations, a practice with global relevance as many markets tighten road-safety standards.

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