Actress Kim Sae Ron to face trial for drunk driving accident

According to the legal industry on March 7th, the first trial for Kim Sae Ron, who has been charged with violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving), will take place on March 8th.

This means that Kim Sae Ron will make a public appearance in the courtroom for the first time in 10 months since the drunk driving accident. All eyes are on what position Kim Sae Ron will take in the first trial.

Kim Sae Ron was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol on May 18th, last year, at around 8 a.m. on a road near Hakdong intersection in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

She crashed into a guardrail, trees, and a transformer substation one after another. Her passenger, Mr. A, who was also in the car with her , was also charged with aiding and abetting drunk driving.

At the time, Kim Sae Ron tested positive on a breathalyzer test, but refused to take a blood alcohol test conducted by the police, and went to a nearby hospital for blood sampling.

The test results showed that Kim Sae Ron's blood alcohol level was 0.2%, far exceeding the license cancellation limit of 0.08%.

The accident caused the transformer to malfunction, and the surrounding facilities and stores experienced a power outage.

Kim Sae Ron is known to have visited more than 30 merchants who were affected by the accident to personally apologize and compensate for damages.

Kim Sae Ron also apologized through a handwritten apology letter, saying, "There is no excuse for the unfortunate incident, and I am deeply disappointed and ashamed of myself for the mistakes I have made. I will deeply reflect on this and make sure that such an incident never happens again."

Kim Sae Ron, who debuted as a magazine model in 2001, gained attention through the movie "The Man From Nowhere" in 2010, where he co-starred with actor Won Bin. Afterwards, he appeared in various works such as "The Queen's Classroom," "Leverage," "Mirror of the Witch," and "The Great Seducer," and was recognized as a representative child actor who grew up well.

However, she dropped out of upcoming works such as Netflix's original series "The Hunt," and SBS's new drama "Trolley" due to the drunk driving accident and parted ways with her agency, Gold Medalist.

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NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]