Actors Lee Jae-ryong (left) and Ahn Jae-wook, who appeared last month on the YouTube channel ‘Jjanhan-hyeong Shin Dong-yup’, are both repeat drunk-driving offenders The YouTube channel
Actors Lee Jae-ryong (61) and Ahn Jae-wook (54), who previously caused controversy over drunk driving, made a joint appearance on a YouTube web variety show and flaunted their drinking capacity; shortly afterward, Lee Jae-ryong caused another hit-and-run while drunk, drawing criticism. The production team deleted the video without any official stance, prompting accusations of “cutting off the tail.”
According to the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on the 9th, police are investigating Lee Jae-ryong on suspicion of violating the Road Traffic Act (failure to take action after an accident), among other charges. He is accused of driving near Cheongdam Station on Subway Line 7 at around 11 p.m. on the 6th, repeatedly crashing into the median strip and fleeing without taking necessary measures.
After the accident, Lee parked his car at his home and was apprehended at an acquaintance’s house. At the time of arrest, his blood alcohol concentration was at a license-suspension level, but he reportedly stated, in effect, “I was not intoxicated when I was driving.”
Just a little over 10 days before the accident, on the 23rd of last month, Lee appeared as a guest with Ahn on the YouTube channel ‘Jjanhan-hyeong Shin Dong-yup’ and conducted an unfiltered drinking broadcast. On the show, Lee said, “I’ve been into tequila lately,” displaying his fondness for alcohol, and Ahn praised his tolerance, saying, “I’ve never seen him get drunk.”
Both men have previous offenses related to alcohol. Ahn was caught drunk driving twice, in 2003 and 2019. Lee’s license was also revoked after he refused a measurement following a drunk-driving accident in 2003, and in 2019 he received a suspension of indictment for property damage committed while heavily intoxicated.
Allegations of Lee Jae-ryong’s drunk driving are widening into criticism of YouTube drinking entertainment Kyunghyang Shinmun AI image
After the broadcast featuring convicted drunk drivers, Lee went on to cause another real-world accident, prompting a torrent of public criticism. The ‘Jjanhan-hyeong’ production team set the video to private on the 7th but issued neither an apology nor a statement.
Notably, ‘Jjanhan-hyeong’ has a record of featuring not only Lee and Ahn but other celebrities with drunk-driving offenses, which has also come under fire.
This incident has ignited strong public criticism of the so-called ‘YouTube drinking entertainment’ for its moral insensitivity. Under current broadcasting law, legacy media such as terrestrial and cable channels are subject to strict sanctions by the Korea Communications Standards Commission for expressions that glorify or encourage drinking.
By contrast, platforms like YouTube and OTT services are either foreign operators or not subject to review under current law, effectively leaving them in a regulatory blind spot.
Experts point out that YouTube ‘drinking shows’ package binge drinking and drunken antics as cheerful entertainment under the pretext of “genuine conversation.” In particular, in the pursuit of views, they have indiscriminately booked even celebrities who committed offenses such as past drunk driving, turning the shows into a conduit that effectively grants absolutionan accusation that can no longer be avoided.
The prevailing view is that production teams’ complacent casting, coupled with unregulated platforms, has produced the disaster of ‘glorifying ex-offenders’ drinking.’ On social media (SNS) and elsewhere, voices are growing that say, “The producers who set the stage for ex-offenders are accomplices,” calling for tough regulation of drinking shows themselves.
