[Sports Seoul | Reporter Lee Seung-rok] It’s no surprise that the public has grown skeptical of apologies from celebrities involved in drunk driving incidents.
On the 9th, police confirmed that actor Lee Jae-ryong is under investigation for suspected drunk driving. Authorities say he crashed into the center median near Cheongdam Station in Seoul on the 6th while intoxicated and fled the scene.
After the crash, Lee reportedly stopped at home and then went to an acquaintance’s house before police detained him. Although his blood-alcohol level was reportedly high enough to trigger a license suspension, he initially denied the charge and then, the next day, admitted to having “four soju shots.”
The reaction from the public was swift and angry. Lee has prior alcohol-related incidents: he was caught drunk driving in 2003 and, in 2019, damaged a storefront sign while heavily intoxicated. This latest episode marks his third alcohol-related controversy.
The outrage was magnified by his recent appearance on the YouTube channel 'Jjanhan Hyung,' hosted by Shin Dong-yeop, where he unabashedly bragged about drinking just days before the crash. For many viewers, watching someone who allegedly drove drunk laugh and praise alcohol on camera felt like an affront.
His conduct also reflects poorly on his role as a husband and father. Actress Yoo Ho-jeong, Lee’s wife, recently ended an 11-year hiatus to return to acting in KBS2’s weekend drama We Prescribe Love, saying she had taken time off to focus on being a mother. After she resumed her career, her husband’s appearance on a drinking-focused talk show followed by a drunk-driving incident undercuts her comeback and has been widely seen as a damaging distraction.
The actions of fellow guest Ahn Jae-wook, who also appeared on 'Jjanhan Hyung,' are equally troubling. Ahn has admitted to drunk driving in 2003 and again in 2019. His earlier statements of feeling “ashamed and humiliated” now ring hollow in light of his participation in a show that celebrates heavy drinking.
In 2013, Ahn survived a life-threatening subarachnoid hemorrhage and described the recovery as a turning point that underscored the value of life. That makes it all the more disconcerting that he would later join a drinking-centric program alongside a suspected repeat offender.
Host Shin Dong-yeop cannot escape responsibility either. Using personal rapport to recruit celebrities with drunk-driving records and framing them as charming, hard-drinking personalities is, at best, a misguided editorial choice and, at worst, a betrayal of viewer trust.
This is not the first time 'Jjanhan Hyung' has drawn criticism for platforming guests with problematic pasts. The show previously featured figures such as actor Lee Jung-jae and television personality Seo Jang-hoon, both of whom have had drunk-driving incidents, prompting accusations that the program functions as an image-repair platform. When Lee Jae-ryong’s incident came to light, the production quietly removed the episode without issuing any public statement — a cowardly and irresponsible response.
Drunk driving can kill innocent people; it is a potentially lethal crime. To then return to cameras and celebrate drinking displays an alarming arrogance and contempt for the public.
Those who perform contrition only to resume brazen behavior should not be granted further chances. Celebrities who treat drunk driving lightly have no place in the industry. The Korean entertainment sector will not collapse without them. roku@sportsseoul.com
