'Drunk Driving Frame-up' Leads to Suspended Prison Sentence in 1st Trial... "I Will Not Engage in Unreasonable Behavior" (Comprehensive)

Singer and actor Iru (real name Jo Seong-hyun), who was prosecuted on charges of falsely claiming that a passenger was driving after being caught for drunk driving, was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial.

Singer Lee Ru [Image provided by Victory Contents]

On the afternoon of the 15th, Judge Jeong In-jae of Criminal Division 11 at the Seoul Western District Court sentenced Iru, who was prosecuted for aiding and abetting a criminal and violating the Road Traffic Act, to six months in prison with a one-year suspension and a fine of 100,000 won. The court explained the sentencing by stating, "He is remorseful and has no prior criminal record."

As he left the courtroom, Iru told reporters, "What should not have happened occurred due to an unhealthy judgment. I will reflect on this, refrain from unreasonable behavior, and do my best to live well. I am sorry."

He is accused of drinking and driving in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, last September, and when caught by the police, falsely stating that the female professional golfer A was driving. A also claimed, "I was the one driving," and the police sent A to the prosecution on charges of aiding and abetting a criminal.

Subsequently, the prosecution found circumstances suggesting that Iru assisted A's false statement. However, since there was no evidence that Iru forced A to switch drivers, he was prosecuted on charges of aiding and abetting instead of instigating aiding and abetting a criminal.

He is also accused of allowing an acquaintance who had been drinking to park his private car in December last year, and later driving under the influence and crashing into a guardrail while driving on the Gangbyeonbuk-ro in Seoul. At the time, Iru was driving at over 180 km/h, and his blood alcohol concentration was 0.075%, which corresponds to a license suspension.

Meanwhile, Iru is the son of singer Tae Jin-ah. He debuted as a singer in 2005 and sang songs such as "Kkaman Angyeong" and "Huin Nun." He later worked as an actor, appearing in dramas such as "You Are Too Much" (2005), "Secret Man" (2020), and "Gentleman and Lady" (2021).