Singer and actor Kim Jung-hoon, 44, a former member of the group UN, was fined 10 million won ($7,200) for refusing a breathalyzer test following a traffic accident.
The Seoul Central District Court said, Monday, that Judge Kang Kyung-mook of the criminal division issued a summary order for the fine on April 24 , charging Kim with refusing to undergo a breathalyzer test and causing injury.
A summary indictment is used when a case is deemed relatively minor and a fine is considered more appropriate than imprisonment. If the court finds the summary indictment justified, it issues a summary order without referring the case to a formal trial.
The ruling is finalized unless the defendant requests a formal trial within a week. Kim did not contest the summary order, thus confirming the verdict.
The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, 2023, when Kim, while driving in Irwon-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, attempted to change lanes and collided with a vehicle ahead of him.
The driver of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries. Kim refused a police request for a breathalyzer test three times at the scene. Initially 안전 charged only with refusing the breathalyzer test, police later added the injury charge, deeming Kim’s fault in the accident to be significant.
Kim previously had his license revoked in July 2011 for driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.129 percent. At the time, he issued an apology stating, “This will never happen again,” and resumed his activities after “a period of self-reflection.”