Singer Horan (from left), actor Lee Jae-ryong, and rapper Gil, who have been caught drunk driving multiple times. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo

Actor Lee Jae-ryong has once again tarnished his reputation with a suspected drunk-driving offense. As repeat drunk-driving offenders such as Yoon Je-moon, Gil, and Horan continue to surface in the entertainment industry, a renewed sense of alarm is growing.

■ Fled while severely intoxicated, third on his record

At about 2 a.m. on the 7th, while intoxicated, Lee allegedly drove near Samseong Jungang Station on Seoul Subway Line 9 in Gangnam District, struck the median barrier, and fled the scene, and he is currently under police investigation on suspicion of violating the Road Traffic Act (failure to take measures after an accident), among other charges.

He fled immediately after the crash, parked at his home, then went to the home of an acquaintance, where police apprehended him. At the time, his blood alcohol concentration was reportedly at the license suspension level.

This is not his first drunk-driving incident. In 2003, he caused a drunk-driving accident in Gangnam and had his license revoked. In 2019, while intoxicated, he knocked over and damaged a bowling alley signboard in Gangnam and received a suspension of indictment from prosecutors on a charge of property damage.

As the number of habitual drunk drivers in the entertainment industry grows, criticism is intensifying. Actor Im Hyun-sik, who has been caught seven times, as well as Gil, Horan, Yoon Je-moon, and Kim Hye-ri, have the disgrace of three or more detections. Shin Hye-sung, Ahn Jae-wook, and Kangin were also punished after twice taking the wheel after drinking.

Even though strong penalty standards such as the Yoon Chang-ho Act have been established, habitual drunk driving among public figures has not ceased, and public outrage is rising.

■ The ‘distorted success experience’ caused by damage to the brain reward circuit

Medical and criminal-psychology experts diagnose repeat drunk driving as a chronic ‘destruction of the brain reward circuit’. As blood alcohol concentration rises, the frontal lobe of the brain, which governs rational judgment and risk control, becomes paralyzed. In that state, behavior is governed not by reason but by distorted experience.

According to 2018 research by the Korea Road Traffic Authority, before being caught, drunk drivers typically have dozens of ‘successful experiences of getting home without an accident’ accumulated in the brain, creating distorted experience.

For entertainers, the inconvenience of calling a substitute driver and the psychological benefit of not exposing drunken behavior to others can combine to give the brain room to distort drunk driving as a ‘convenient and safe behavior’.

According to a 2024 study listed in KCI, those repeatedly caught two or more times show a markedly higher level of the defense mechanism of ‘rationalization’ than non-drunk drivers.

Ultimately, the third drunk-driving offense by Lee Jae-ryong can be interpreted as the manifestation of many past wrong habits that previously escaped detection.

Criticism from various quarters is mounting over habitual drunk drivers who persist in the entertainment industry. Kyunghyang Shinmun AI image

■ The entertainment industry self-policing system under fire for ‘slap-on-the-wrist punishments’

The entertainment industry’s lack of a self-correcting system, notably lenient toward drunk driving, is also under scrutiny. In the past, even celebrities caught three or more times, such as Gil, Yoon Je-moon, and Horan, returned to television and film after a brief hiatus in the name of self-reflection.

Lee likewise received a suspension of indictment in 2019 after, while heavily intoxicated, damaging a signboard, but his activities were not significantly affected.

By handing out indulgences in the form of ‘time will fix it’ instead of strong sanctions such as recommending alcohol treatment or expulsion from the industry, agencies and broadcasters appear to have instilled in celebrities the dangerous learning effect that “even if you get caught, taking a brief break is enough”.

Experts agree that imposing only criminal punishment on habitual drunk drivers is merely a stopgap. For those coupled with alcohol dependence, physical controls such as the ‘ignition interlock device’ slated for introduction this year must be mandatorily linked with compulsory psychological and alcohol treatment.

It is forecast that, in the entertainment industry as well, without a principled stance of excluding casting altogether even upon a single detection rather than a ‘three strikes out’ approach, it will be impossible to prevent a second and third Lee Jae-ryong.