Driving In A Drunken Situation Makes The Image Of A South Korean Public Figure Destroyed

Bae Sung Woo (Instagram @sbsdrama.official)

JAKARTA - Actor Bae Sung Woo was arrested by the authorities for driving under influence (DUI) last month and his driving license was officially revoked.

The incident came to light on Friday, December 10. Through his agency, Bae Sung Woo apologized for doing something illegal.

"I am fully aware of the responsibility I hold for my mistakes with no room for explanation."

Because of this incident, Bae Sung Woo stated that he left the Korean drama Delayed Justice which is still airing on SBS. Bae Sung Woo will not be participating to shoot the latest episode and the rest of the story is still in discussion. So far the filming has been running until episode 16 and Bae Sung Woo's appearance will be deleted until episode 20

Drinking Alcohol Becomes a Habit

Consuming alcohol has become a habit of South Korean society. But if you drink before driving, it can lead to problems. Alcohol can affect your ability to drive and harm those around you.

According to a Samsung Traffic Safety Research report written by The Korea Times, drunk driving occurred as many as 4,627 cases from January to August this year.

To quote Creatrip, someone who is caught drinking before driving has three types of punishment: civil, administrative and criminal penalties.

Civil is paying the insurance fee while administrative is the suspension of the driving license. Criminal penalties are given to people who drive and cause an accident or death.

There are five levels of offense to see how dangerous a crime is. The first violation is seen from the percentage of alcohol content. People who have an alcohol content of more than 0.2 percent must pay a fine or be jailed for 2-5 years.

Then, when a person refuses to take an alcohol test, he can be fined 20 million won or jailed for 1-5 years. Life imprisonment also applies to those who cause accidents or death.

Therefore, driving under the influence of alcohol is called attempted murder. The track record that is carried out will be stored in the person's identity. Celebrities who experience this case are often in the public spotlight and most of them choose to leave the entertainment industry.

Image of Celebrities Devastated by Criminal Cases

South Korea places a high priority on their public image. Criminal acts can erode a positive image and their reputation will plummet. Especially if this incident is done by a K-pop artist, they will experience bullying and find it difficult to attract the attention of fans.

In 2012, Nickhun 2PM drove drunk. As a result, Nichkhun's appearance on the Idol Star Championship event was completely deleted. Comedian No Hong Chul also left Infinite Challenge after carrying out a similar case.

Kangin from Super Junior also experienced DUI events twice, in 2009 and 2016. Fans have boycotted and petitioned Kangin to leave Super Junior. Kangin was declared out of Super Junior in 2019.

Last June, Im Youngmin of group AB6IX drove drunk and his license was suspended. Due to this incident, the group's comeback was delayed. Youngmin also chose to leave the group and enlist in the military. Throughout 2019 to this year, there have been more than eight cases of DUI committed by South Korean artists. Bae Sung Woo is the latest public figure known to have committed this illegal act.