Singer Nam Tae-hyun, formerly of the group ‘WINNER’, is set to stand trial on charges of drunk driving.
According to Newsis on the 1st, Judge Heo Joon-seo of the Seoul Western District Court’s 11th Criminal Division will open the first hearing for Nam’s charges of violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving) on the 11th.
Nam is accused of crashing into a central barrier while attempting to overtake a car near Dongjak Bridge towards Ilsan on the Gangbyeonbuk-ro at around 4:10 am on the 27th of last month.
It has been confirmed that there were no casualties at the time.
The police applied for an arrest warrant in May, but the court dismissed it, citing insufficient grounds for detention during the warrant review.
Nam was handed over to the prosecution without being detained.
In addition to the drunk driving charge, Nam also faces allegations of exceeding the speed limit.
Under the current Road Traffic Act, if a vehicle is driven at a speed exceeding the limit by over 80 km/h, the driver can be fined up to 300,000 won or given a short-term detention. If the speed exceeds by 100 km/h or more, the fine or detention can go up to 1 million won.
This is not the first time Nam has faced trial. Previously, he was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year suspension for violating the Narcotics Control Act in January of last year. In March 2023, he also received a summary order to pay a 6 million won fine for a drunk driving incident during a drug investigation.