Prosecutors Appeal Suspended Sentence for Singer Lee Ru in 'Drunk Driving Switch' Case

The prosecution has appealed the first trial verdict against singer and actor Iru (real name Jo Seong-hyun), who was sentenced to a suspended prison term on charges of falsely testifying that his passenger was driving when he was caught driving under the influence.

Singer Lee Ru [Image provided by Victory Contents]

On the 21st, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Considering the serious nature of the crime and the need to raise social awareness about drunk driving, we have appealed to seek a heavier sentence commensurate with the crime."

Earlier, on the afternoon of the 15th, Judge Jeong In-jae of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 11 sentenced Iru, who was tried on charges of 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.

Iru is accused of drinking and driving in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, last September, and when caught by the police, falsely testifying that the female professional golfer A, who was his passenger, was driving. At that time, A also claimed that she was the driver.

Subsequently, the prosecution found evidence that Iru assisted A in giving false testimony. However, since there was no indication that Iru forced A to switch drivers, he was prosecuted on charges of aiding and abetting rather than instigating the concealment of a criminal.

He is also accused of allowing a friend who had been drinking to park his private car in December last year, and then driving under the influence and crashing into a guardrail while driving on the Gangbyeonbuk-ro in Seoul. At that time, Iru was driving at over 180 km/h, and his blood alcohol concentration at the time of arrest 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).