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Chang Yong-joon, the 19-year-old son of Liberty Party Korea (LPK) Rep. Chang Je-won, has admitted to being in a drunk driving collision with a motorbike, according to police, Tuesday, after he voluntarily appeared at Mapo Police Station in Seoul.
"Last night, Chang voluntarily came to the police station and submitted to questioning," a station officer said.
Chang's car struck a motorcyclist, who was also questioned earlier the same day, according to the officer.
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| Chang Yong-joon, also known by his stage name NO:EL |
Immediately after the collision, the rapper tried to pay off the motorcyclist by offering 10 million won ($8,370) and mentioning that his father was a lawmaker.
It is suspected that he also tried to claim he was not driving the vehicle, in an apparent bid to avoid DUI charges.
When police officers arrived at the scene, Chang told them he was not the driver. Thirty minutes after the accident, a man in his 30s arrived at the scene of the collision and claimed he was the driver. Chang's blood alcohol level was 0.08 percent, which was enough for his license to be revoked ― the third man was sober.
The police let Chang go home and took the third person to the police station for questioning. But about two hours later, Chang arrived at the station with his mother and a lawyer and admitted he was the driver.
The police booked Chang on suspicions of drunk driving, the passenger on suspicions of abetting drunk driving, and the third person who claimed to be the driver, on suspicions of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
A local daily reported that the third man works at Rep. Chang's office, something the lawmaker strongly denied.
The crash has caused public criticism that the police were lenient toward the lawmaker's son, with many saying people causing a car crash while under the influence are usually detained.
But the police said that according to the relevant guidelines, a person causing a DUI crash is not necessarily detained unless the collision kills or seriously injures someone.
"We will wrap up the investigation as quickly as possible," the officer said. "Rep. Chang has not contacted the police since the crash."
The crash has had an impact on the opposition lawmaker who harshly criticized Justice Minister Cho Kuk during his confirmation hearing last week for allegedly helping his daughter get favorable treatment in college admissions and being awarded scholarships.
"I deeply regret my son causing trouble with such a shameful accident. Yong-joon will take full responsibility for his actions," Rep. Chang said on Facebook.
The rapper also released a statement through the Instagram account of his agency Indigo Music, apologizing for the incident and saying that he will fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
This is not the first case of misbehavior by NO:EL.
He appeared on Mnet's rapper audition show "High School Rapper" in 2017 and dropped out due to old tweets about attempting to solicit prostitution.
Shortly after the scandal, the father released an apology and resigned as spokesman of his party ― at that time the Bareunmirae Party ― and as chairman of the party's Busan city committee.
