It has been belatedly revealed that Song Young Gyu was summarily indicted and fined for drunk driving. While Song has expressed his apologies, he will be stepping down from the play he is currently starring in. The news has also put the two television dramas he appears in into a difficult position.
According to the police, Song was booked without detention and transferred to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office late last month on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act. The incident occurred on June 19th around 11:00 PM, when he allegedly drove his own car while intoxicated from Giheung-gu to his home in Yongin.
In a phone call with Ilgan Sports on July 25th, Song repeatedly apologized. “I am very sorry. I must have been out of my mind. I’ve ruined everything with a single mistake. I am so sorry,” he said.
Song explained the circumstances of that night, stating, “I initially called for a designated driver, but the driver left while I was talking with an acquaintance at a convenience store. My home was less than a five-minute drive away and I made the wrong decision to drive myself using cruise control.”
He also revealed that he had been feeling unwell and had taken medication before drinking. “I had met an acquaintance during the day and wasn’t feeling well, so I had taken throat medicine and a muscle relaxant. I didn’t drink much, but I think drinking on top of the medication made my condition worse,” he said. He lamented, “My acquaintances were with me, and we had even called a designated driver together. I don’t know how this could have happened.”
Currently, he is appearing in the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama The Defects. Coincidentally, he is also set to appear in the SBS Friday-Saturday drama Try: We Become a Miracle, which premieres tonight.
“Filming for the dramas was completed last year, so I didn’t think to take any specific action,” Song said, repeatedly apologizing for the harm caused to the productions.
The team behind The Defects plans to edit out Song’s scenes as much as possible. A representative told Ilgan Sports, “Filming for the drama has already been completed. We plan to edit out Song Young Gyu’s scenes as much as we can without disrupting the plot or the viewers’ understanding of the story.”
In the case of Try: We Become a Miracle, Song’s role is significant, making it difficult to edit him out completely. The production team is now carefully considering how to handle his scenes without compromising the show’s narrative.
Meanwhile, it has been decided that Song will leave the play Shakespeare in Love after tonight’s performance, which was originally scheduled to run until September 14th. “I am so sorry to everyone who trusted and cared for me,” Song apologized.
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