Lee Kyung Kyu has been booked by the police for driving under the influence of drugs.
On June 24, the Seoul Gangnam Police Station confirmed that they had booked Lee Kyung Kyu on charges of drug-impaired driving and were in the process of questioning him.
Lee Kyung Kyu is suspected of having driven under the influence of drugs on June 8 at around 2 a.m. KST in the Nonhyeon neighborhood of Seoul’s Gangnam District.
At the time, Lee Kyung Kyu was driving someone else’s car due to a parking attendant’s mistake, and the car in question was reported as suspected of being stolen. When the police who found him tested him for drugs using a reagent test kit, the test came back positive. After the National Forensic Service also reported a positive test result, the police went from investigating the case to formally booking him.
Lee Kyung Kyu’s agency responded by explaining, “[Lee Kyung Kyu] has been suffering from panic disorder for 10 years and has consistently been undergoing treatment in accordance with his doctor’s prescription.” They continued, “The night before the incident, he suddenly experienced symptoms and took his prescribed medication, but his condition worsened, and the following day, he wound up driving himself to the doctor for treatment while not in good condition.”
“All of the medications he took had been legally prescribed through a specialist’s diagnosis, and on the day of the incident, he personally showed the police the medication in question,” said the agency. “No one is taking this incident more seriously than Lee [Kyung Kyu], and he is reflecting deeply on it.”
However, the police stated, “Even if he took ordinary prescription medication, he can still be charged with drug-impaired driving.”
Article 45 of the Road Traffic Act prohibits driving when there is a risk that the influence of drugs may interfere with one’s driving ability. Even if the drugs in question were prescription medication, charges of drug-impaired driving may still apply if Lee Kyung Kyu chose to drive while his concentration and cognitive ability were impaired.
