K-drama actor Song Young-kyu was found dead inside a car in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday, weeks after getting caught in a drink-driving case, as per reports.
The 55-year-old actor’s body was recovered from a car parked at a townhouse complex at around 8am (KST). Police have launched a probe into the case, officials from Yongin Eastern Police Station told the local media.
According to the South Korea-based news portal Koreaboo, the cause of the actor’s death is unknown.
On Jun 19, the Recon actor was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. His blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 per cent. He was transferred to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office without detention on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act.
Though the incident occurred in June, it became public by the end of July.
Following the incident, the actor faced severe backlash, which later led to him being removed from several projects including The Winning Try, Eye Shopping and a stage play, Shakespeare In Love.
The makers of another K-drama, The Defects, which Song Young-kyu had already shot for, said in a statement that his screen time would be restricted following the controversy. The actor is survived by his wife and two daughters.
In South Korea, celebrities are held to a higher moral ground, and controversies often lead to heavy scrutiny and impact on careers, as per media reports.
Young-kyu made his acting debut in 1994 with the children’s musical Wizard Mureul. The actor was known for his roles in Hwarang, Big Bet and Destined With You.
In May 2022, another K-drama star, Kim Sae-ron, was involved in a drink-driving incident in Seoul, South Korea. She crashed her car into multiple objects, including a transformer, causing a power outage affecting 57 businesses.
Sae-ron died by suicide on February 16 at the age of 24. She had reportedly received a legal notice in 2023 demanding payment of about KRW 700 million (approximately USD 4,82,087) for damages caused by her in the drink-driving incident.
Kim Sae-ron’s scenes in the Netflix series Bloodhounds, which was her last drama, were snipped after the controversy.
