Kangin

The Seoul Central Public Prosecutor’s Office has formally charged Kangin, member of popular idol group Super Junior, for his involvement in a drunk driving and hit-and-run accident in October 2009.

However, the prosecutor’s office is only seeking a summary judgment with a fine of 8 million won (about $7,096) against Kangin. With this, the case will no longer go to trial and Kangin will be able to avoid possible imprisonment.

The nasty accident has tainted Kangin’s idol image and led to his temporary suspension from Super Junior, one of South Korea’s most popular boy bands.

The result of the investigation came nearly three months after Kangin was involved in the accident in Gangnam in Seoul.

It is recalled that in the early morning of Oct. 16 last year, an intoxicated Kangin was driving a rented Audi car in Gangnam when he hit a taxi. The incident caused the taxi to lurch forward and hit another taxi. Fortunately, the drivers and passengers of the taxis were not hurt.

However, Kangin got out of the car and fled the scene.

Six hours later, Kangin surrendered to the police. When he had his blood alcohol checked, it revealed 0.081 percent, which automatically caused the suspension of his driver’s license for 100 days. 

The police ordered Kangin to appear again at the police station on the same day, but he failed. The police tried to call his cell phone but it was turned off. He was booked for driving under the influence (DUI)  and hit-and-run.

Kangin immediately issued an apology to his fans.

“I have nothing to say but say sorry thousands of times. I should have been more cautious but I'm really sorry for disappointing you again,” said Kangin.

SM Entertainment, which manages Super Junior, also issued an apology.

"We are very sad about Kangin's incident. We also want to say sorry to all the people who are disappointed by this bad thing."

Two days later, SM announced that Kangin would not be involved in all Super Junior activities until the end of 2009.

The DUI and hit-and-run accident was Kangin’s second case in a month.

On September 16 last year, Kangin was involved in a brawl outside a bar also in Gangnam.

Police investigation showed that Kangin and a friend had a fight with two customers. A closed-circuit television (CCTV) recording retrieved by the police belied Kangin’s claim that he didn’t engage in the fight.

He was booked on assault charges, but the prosecutor’s office suspended Kangin’s indictment last December in view of his clean record.

The decision on Kangin’s case has become a hot topic on Super Junior fan sites. Majority of the fans said this should serve as a lesson to Kangin.