TV shows face disruptions as producers scramble to cut actor's appearances
Actor Ko Kyung-pyo apologized Sunday for hitting a cleaning truck while driving drunk and vowed to suspend all scheduled activities.
In a statement posted on his Instagram account, Ko admitted that he had crashed into a cleaning truck while driving drunk early Saturday morning, saying his blood alcohol level had exceeded the legal limit and his license was revoked.
"I would first like to apologize once again to those who were working in the early morning hours and were put in danger and frightened by my actions. Getting behind the wheel after drinking was entirely my fault," he wrote.
The accident occurred Saturday at around 3:30 a.m. in Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, western Seoul, when Ko's car collided with a cleaning truck owned by a private company contracted by the Mapo District Office.
A worker in his 60s who was driving the truck sustained minor injuries. The vehicle was slightly damaged.
A breathalyzer test conducted by police at the scene found that Ko's blood alcohol concentration was above 0.08 percent, the threshold for immediate license revocation in South Korea. His exact blood alcohol level has not been disclosed.
Ko also pledged to take full responsibility for the accident and cooperate with the police investigation.
"I will suspend all scheduled activities. I will fully cooperate with the police investigation, take the necessary steps to address the damage caused by the accident and accept full responsibility for any penalties imposed," he said.
Ko also addressed a controversy about his behavior following the accident as captured by surveillance footage.
The video showed him appearing to examine an object in his hand before hastily slipping it into his coat as a police officer approached, sparking speculation online about what he was holding.
"What I put in my coat pocket in the video was the car key I had been holding," he said.
The actor also responded to questions about why he didn't stop after the collision, instead driving a short distance beyond the collision point.
"After hitting the cleaning truck, I couldn't immediately find a place to pull over, so I drove a little farther before stopping," he said.
Ko's drunk-driving accident has dealt a blow to several television productions that feature him, prompting emergency editing of upcoming episodes.
The production team of tvN's "Sixth Sense: B Side" told a local news outlet that it would edit out as much footage of Ko as possible from the remaining episodes, including the season finale on Nov. 22.
The fallout has also affected shows yet to premiere.
tvN's "Bogum Magical 2," set to premiere Nov. 29, has removed a promotional video featuring Ko from its official social media accounts.
Tving's "The Great Escape: Urban Legends," scheduled for release Dec. 2, is also being reedited to minimize Ko's screen time, though producers said the show's team-based format makes it difficult to remove him entirely.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
