Seoul Police Charge Actor Lee Jae-ryong with Obstructing Breath Test After Crash
Seoul's Gangnam Police on Monday added an obstruction of a breath test charge to actor Lee Jae-ryong, 62, after investigators said he may have consumed more alcohol after a crash to prevent determining his blood-alcohol level. The police said the new charge relates to alleged attempts to evade the breathalyzer measurement, a practice known in Korea as “drinking to evade” (술타기).
The incident occurred around 11 p.m. on the 6th near Cheongdam Station on Seoul’s Subway Line 7, when Lee drove into a central divider several times and then fled the scene. He did not take immediate action at the site, later returned, and parked the car at his home. He was arrested by police around 2 a.m. the following morning.
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Police said Lee later had another drinking session with acquaintances near his residence. A subsequent breath test showed his blood-alcohol content in the license-suspension range of 0.03% to 0.08%. Based on the sequence of events, investigators believe there are signs he may have tried to drink after the crash to obscure the measurement.
Korea has a law known as the Kim Ho-joong Prevention Act, enacted last year and in effect since June 2024, that treats attempts to evade breath tests as punishable in the same way as refusing a breath test. The case against Lee has brought renewed attention to this provision.
Lee has a history of alcohol-related incidents. In June 2019, he was booked for damaging a bowling alley sign in Gangnam while intoxicated; prosecutors deferred prosecution in that case. He was also involved in a drunken-driving incident in 2003 in Gangnam.
The case illustrates how Korea enforces drunk driving laws, including post-accident obligations and penalties for attempting to evade testing. For international readers, the developments matter for understanding Korea’s road-safety policy, its treatment of high-profile offenders, and how such cases can influence public perception of accountability in the entertainment industry.