Actor Ryu Seung-beom is facing backlash after it emerged that, during a past project, he personally drove his agency’s vehicle and illegally used bus-only lanes, resulting in fines. In response, his former agency Y1 Entertainment issued an official apology, bowing its head over the incident.
On the 23rd, Y1 Entertainment said in a formal statement, "We sincerely apologize for the concern caused by reports related to our actor." The agency added, "Upon review, we confirmed that fines were imposed for bus-only lane violations while driving a company vehicle during schedule transfers in the past," noting that "the full amount was paid immediately upon receiving the notice."
The agency continued, "Regardless of the reason, we deeply apologize for failing to strictly comply with traffic laws. We will tighten internal management to ensure full compliance with all related regulations when operating vehicles going forward."
The controversy stems from the period when Ryu was filming the Netflix original film Good News. He reportedly drove the agency’s support vehicle, a Kia Carnival, himself and was caught multiple times using bus-only lanes on highways and in city centers, which led to hundreds of thousands of won in fines issued to the agency’s corporate entity.
Under current road traffic laws, highway bus-only lanes can only be used by passenger or van vehicles with nine or more seats, and for vehicles with up to 12 seats, at least six passengers must actually be on board. However, the company car Ryu drove at the time was a seven-seater Carnival—a model categorically ineligible to enter bus-only lanes regardless of the number of occupants—fueling public criticism.
Ryu reportedly drove the agency vehicle himself because, after marrying his Slovak wife in 2020, he primarily lived overseas, frequently traveling between Korea and Europe. As he did not maintain a personal car under his name in Korea, he is said to have used and personally driven the company-provided vehicle while staying in the country for shoots.
Meanwhile, around the time this issue surfaced, Ryu’s exclusive contract with Y1 Entertainment expired on the 22nd. After parting ways with the agency, he confirmed the Disney+ original series Moving Season 2 as his next project and is currently focused on filming the Netflix original series Dealer, drawing attention to his next steps.