A troubled idol-turned-criminal admitted to charges of drunk driving at his first trial on the 11th.
Judge Heo Jun Seo of Seoul Western District Court’s Criminal Division 11 held the first hearing on former boy group WINNER member Nam Taehyun’s violation of the Road Traffic Act.
Entering the courtroom with his long yellow hair tied back and dressed in a black long padded jacket, he briefly responded “Yes” when asked if he admitted all the charges. He stated his current occupation as “an office worker.”
Nam Taehyun is accused of driving near Dongjak Bridge on the Gangbyeon Expressway toward Ilsan on April 27 with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.122%, exceeding the license cancellation limit of 0.08%.
He was also driving at 182 km/h, far above the legal speed limit of 80 km/h on that road. He caused a collision with a median barrier, but there were no casualties.
At the time of the accident, Nam Taehyun was serving a two-year probation sentence following a one-year prison sentence, suspended for drug use in January 2024. Although the police requested an arrest warrant, the court rejected it, citing no risk of evidence tampering.
