New Chat Logs Show Choi Jonghoon Lying About His Drunk Driving Arrest To Seungri’s Chatroom
New chat logs revealed by SBS have shown Choi Jonghoon lying about his 2016 DUI arrest to the rest of the group chat.
In the released chat log, Choi Jonghoon messaged the group chat about his arrest, and how he gave 10 million won to the police to get out of it.
Choi Jonghoon: The chrome hearts (handcuffs) really hurt. If you haven’t had them on, don’t say anything.
Choi Jonghoon: I told him (the police officer) I would give him 10 million won before I got handcuffed.
After checking with police, SBS has discovered exactly what happened that night.
In February 2016, Choi Jonghoon was driving under the influence when he saw a police car. After seeing the police car, he immediately put his car in reverse and tried to get away. The police officer found this suspicious, so he chased after him, stopping him.
When the police officer tried to test Choi Jonghoon’s blood alcohol content, he ran away from his car. The police officer had to put him in handcuffs to prevent him from trying to run away again. Choi Jonghoon offered the police officer 2 million won, and when he was asked about his identity, he lied about it, and said he was unemployed.
Police officers are supposed to report any cases of celebrities or public figures being cited for DUI to a higher-up. However, because Choi Jonghoon stated he was unemployed, it can be assumed that this was not reported.
Choi Jonghoon was measured at a 0.097% BAC, almost twice the legal limit of 0.05%. He received a fine of 2.5 million won and a suspended license, but he was not charged with bribing a police officer.
Through SBS’s investigation, it was determined that Choi Jonghoon did indeed attempt to bribe the police, but it was only with 2 million won, not the 10 million won like he said. He also lied about offering the bribe before he was arrested, as he only offered the 2 million won after the handcuffs were on him.