Drunk Driving Accused Moon Dahye Appears at Police Station 13 Days After Incident: "I'm Sorry"

Conveying Position Through an Apology Statement

Moon Da-hye (41), daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, who was booked on charges of drunk driving (violation of the Road Traffic Act) in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, appeared at the police station.

Moon Da-hye, daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, who was booked on charges of drunk driving, is appearing at the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul on the 18th, 13 days after the accident. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Moon appeared at the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul at around 1:40 p.m. on the 18th with a stern expression. When asked by reporters how much she had drunk that day, she briefly replied, "I'm sorry," before entering the police station.

Instead, through an apology statement, she said, "I feel that expressing my feelings in writing can be more honest, so I offer my sincere apologies this way," and added, "I sincerely apologize once again to the taxi driver and their family who were affected by my wrongdoing." She continued, "Thanks to the taxi driver’s report, I was able to stop driving and avoid a bigger accident. I am grateful that the driver accepted my apology after the accident."

Moon is expected to complete her investigation in about an hour and a half and then return home.

Earlier, on the 5th at 2:51 a.m., Moon collided with a taxi while changing lanes in her Casper vehicle in front of the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. At the time, her blood alcohol concentration was 0.149%, which is above the license cancellation threshold (0.08%). It was confirmed that there were no passengers in Moon’s vehicle.

Meanwhile, it is also known that Moon has proposed a settlement to the taxi driver, the victim, and has completed a criminal settlement. Through her lawyer, she reportedly delivered a handwritten letter expressing apologies for being in a state of confusion. If the victim submits a medical certificate, it would have been possible to consider applying charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes for dangerous driving causing injury, but since a settlement was reached, it is highly likely that only the drunk driving charge will be applied.