Actor Lee Jae-ryong, facing charges of violating the Road Traffic Act through a hit-and-run and obstruction of a sobriety test, speaks to reporters after completing a police investigation at Seoul's Gangnam Police Station on March 10. [Newsis]
Actor Lee Jae-ryong, facing charges of violating the Road Traffic Act through a hit-and-run and obstruction of a sobriety test, speaks to reporters after completing a police investigation at Seoul's Gangnam Police Station on March 10. [Newsis]

Actor Lee Jae-ryong, 62, has been indicted on charges that he fled the scene of a traffic accident in Gangnam, Seoul, and then consumed more alcohol at a separate gathering to obscure his blood alcohol level at the time of the crash.

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Criminal Division 7, led by chief prosecutor Jo Yun-cheol, indicted Lee without detention Wednesday on charges of failing to take post-accident measures and obstructing a sobriety test under the Road Traffic Act, according to legal sources.

Lee is accused of striking a median barrier while driving near Cheongdam Station in Gangnam-gu around 11 p.m. on March 6 and fleeing the scene. He allegedly parked his vehicle at a residence in Cheongdam-dong immediately after the accident, attended another drinking session, and was apprehended by police at an acquaintance's home about three hours later.

Lee initially denied driving under the influence when arrested but reversed course the following day, saying he had drunk four glasses of soju before getting behind the wheel and thought he had only lightly grazed the median. Three days later, during a police investigation, he said he had consumed roughly one beer glass of distilled spirits at the second gathering, that it had been a pre-arranged engagement, and that he had not attempted to dilute his blood alcohol level.

Police concluded that Lee had employed what is known as the "drink dilution" tactic — consuming additional alcohol after a drunk-driving accident to make it harder to determine his blood alcohol level at the time of the crash — and forwarded the case to prosecutors with a drunk driving charge included.

Prosecutors, however, declined to indict Lee on the drunk driving charge, saying they could not clearly establish through the Widmark formula that his blood alcohol concentration while driving had been at or above 0.03 percent.

The Widmark formula estimates blood alcohol concentration over time based on a person's physical characteristics, the duration of drinking and the amount consumed. Courts apply the formula conservatively, in the manner most favorable to the defendant.

Under the Road Traffic Act, anyone who consumes alcohol or medication with the intent to obstruct a sobriety test faces between one and five years in prison or a fine of 5 million won ($3,500) to 20 million won. The provision was introduced following the 2024 case of trot music singer Kim Ho-jung and has been in effect since June last year.


betterj@heraldcorp.com