Actor Lee Jae-ryong is facing a fresh wave of backlash after signs emerged that he joined another drinking session following a DUI crash—igniting allegations of the so-called "sul-tagi" tactic, where a driver drinks after an accident to muddy blood alcohol levels.
According to Yonhap News TV on the 13th, Seoul’s Gangnam Police Station is questioning Lee over his movements immediately after the crash and whether he continued drinking, as part of an investigation into violations of the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving and leaving the scene).
Lee allegedly crashed into a median strip near Cheongdam Station in Gangnam around 11 p.m. on the 6th while driving after drinking, then left the scene. After the crash, he is said to have parked his car at his residence in Cheongdam-dong and walked to a restaurant about 20 minutes away.
At the restaurant, Lee reportedly met friends who had arrived ahead of him, and the group ordered one bottle of distilled liquor and two servings of outside skirt steak. With the friends said to have arrived around 11:10 p.m.—roughly 10 minutes after the crash—speculation is growing that the gathering was hastily arranged immediately after the incident.
Police are examining whether Lee drank more alcohol after the crash to confuse estimates of his blood alcohol concentration at the time—probing the possibility of a "sul-tagi" attempt.
Lee initially denied drinking but later reversed course, admitting, "I had four shots of soju before the crash." Investigators have reportedly found indications that he moved between multiple gatherings and drank at more than one location, and they are working to pin down his exact alcohol intake.
Authorities also plan to apply the Widmark formula—a method that back-calculates blood alcohol concentration based on alcohol intake and elapsed time—to estimate his BAC at the moment of the crash.