Actor Son Seung-won, who was handed a one-year prison sentence and taken into custody in the first trial over a drunk driving charge, will face his appeal hearing at the Seoul Western District Court on the 23rd.
According to legal circles, the Criminal Agreement Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Court is set to open the first appeal hearing on the 23rd for Son’s violation of the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving).
In November last year, Son was caught driving while heavily intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.165%. He even drove the wrong way on Gangbyeonbuk-ro and, upon arrest, falsely claimed, "A designated driver left the car after an argument." He also allegedly tried to destroy evidence by asking his girlfriend, Ms. Kim, to remove the dashcam’s storage device.
Although Son pleaded for leniency, it emerged near the end of the trial that he had driven another vehicle without a license while heading to a bar, leading the court to detain him over concerns he might flee.
Last month, the first-instance court sentenced Son to one year in prison and remanded him on the spot. His girlfriend, Ms. Kim, who was indicted alongside him, received a suspended pronouncement of a 1.5 million won fine for evidence concealment. Prosecutors, however, had sought four years and deemed the sentence far too light, so they appealed. All eyes are now on what ruling Son will receive in the appeal.