Female Idol Offers Tearful Apology In First Public Appearance Four Years After Drunk Driving Scandal
A former girl group member recently made her first public appearance since 2021, when she got embroiled in a DUI incident.
The idol in question is Lizzy, a former member of After School and Orange Caramel.
On August 1, KST, Lizzy appeared as a guest in a video uploaded by the YouTube channel, Jjungthewoman, hosted by her fellow After School member, Jungah.
The interview got emotional quickly as Lizzy chose to honestly address her past mistakes, saying, “What happened was something that should never have occurred, and there is no room for excuses — it was clearly my fault.”
She was referring to her drunk driving incident in May 2021 when she crashed into a taxi while driving under the influence. Her blood alcohol content at that time was reported to be over 0.08%, which is the level for license revocation in Korea.
Lizzy admitted that the condemnation that followed was scary for someone who had gotten used to being loved by the public for her bubbly and positive personality. She tearfully admitted that her pride led her to make many irreversible mistakes at that time.
At first, the criticism and condemnation I received were frightening. I used to be loved for my cheerful and positive image through variety shows, Orange Caramel, and After School, but suddenly I was shunned by many people. I think I tried to hold on to that love, and in the process, I kept making more mistakes and saying the wrong things. I used to be full of pride.
— Lizzy
The idol also said that though she worked hard, the love and reward she received in return were often much more than what she deserved. “I didn’t fully understand or appreciate that,” she confessed, adding that it wasn’t until she lost her blessings that she realized she had taken them for granted.
Jungah also spoke candidly about her disappointment with Lizzy initially, stating, “I wondered why she did it. Many of us told her to come to her senses.” However, she admitted that Lizzy had shown real growth and made genuine efforts to change herself, which made it possible for them to stay close despite the DUI incident.
Lizzy expressed her gratitude toward all her groupmates who stayed beside her. She also admitted that had this major life event not impacted her, she probably would have never changed as a person.
In 2021, after the DUI incident, Lizzy was fined ₩15.0 million KRW (about $10,800 USD) and she lost most of her fan following. She made a statement of apology, saying that the scandal was something she would be ashamed of for the rest of her life, and removed herself from the public eye for years. However, four years later, Lizzy has made her first on-camera appearance and is now reconnecting with her fans through TikTok.
