“Waikiki” Actor Son Seung Won Sentenced To 18 Months In Prison
Actor Son Seung Won, who rose to fame in the dramas Hello My Twenties and Laughter in Waikiki, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his charges of drunk driving, driving without a license, and fleeing the scene.
Senior judge Hong Ki Chan sentenced Son Seung Won to 18 months in prison after the actor pleaded guilty to violating the act of Additional Punishment Law on Specific Crimes for fleeing the scene of an accident, among other charges.
Son Seung Won was initially charged under the “Yoon Chang Ho law”, which was put into place late last year to enforce stricter punishment against drunk drivers who injure or kill someone. His case was changed to a special case, as he also tried to run away, giving him a harsher punishment.
Under the law, if a person is injured by a drunk driver, the drunk driver will receive between 1-15 years in prison, and fined between 10,000,000-30,000,000 KRW ($8,772-26,317 USD). However, if a drunk driver injures a person and then flees the scene of the crime, the punishment increases to a maximum of 30 years. The fine remains a maximum of 30,000,000 KRW.
Senior judge Hong Ki Chan revealed his reason for sentencing Son Seung Won to 18 months in prison.
Drunk driving is a crime that can not only affect the driver’s life, but others as well. The need for severe punishment for drunk drivers has emerged, and reflecting the requests from the public, a law revision was put into place to strengthen the punishment for drunk drivers.
The defendant has already paid a fine twice in the past for drunk driving, and he has a record, but he once again got into an accident. He tried to escape responsibility by telling the police that someone else was driving.
We cannot overlook the fact that the purpose of the law revision was to severely punish drunk driving, and that will be reflected in this case.
— Hong Ki Chan
Son Seung Won was caught drunk driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.21% in August 2018. Just months later, he was caught again drunk driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.206%, after hitting a car, sending 2 people to the hospital with minor injuries. He tried to run away from the scene of the crime, but other cars blocked him from escaping.
