Shin Hye-sung of the K-pop male group Shinhwa has been arrested for refusing to take a breathalyzer test. The vehicle that he was driving was registered as stolen.
Seoul Songpa Police Station said that Shin was apprehended in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, around 1:40 a.m., Tuesday, for refusing to comply with a breathalyzer test.
Police received a call addressing a stopped vehicle in the middle of the road. When they arrived at the scene, the singer was sleeping in the car, according to the station.
The police station will further investigate how Shin ended up sitting in the stolen vehicle. It was followed by the car owner’s statement to the police, saying, “I do not know who Shin Hye-sung is.”
After the news broke out, Shin’s agency, Liveworks Company, has admitted that the singer was driving under the influence.
“After having a gathering with acquaintances at a restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Shin Hye-sung set out around 11 p.m. Monday. He had consumed alcohol during the gathering and received a key from the valet parking attendant,” the company said in a released statement.
“On the way home while driving the car, he stopped the vehicle on the road and fell asleep. Police were called to investigate the parked vehicle and he was arrested for refusing the breathalyzer test,” the statement further read.
The agency also gave an apology on behalf of the singer, saying, “We have no excuse for his behaviors of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving someone else’s car without noticing as he was drunk.”
Meanwhile, the 42-year-old singer has a history of being caught driving under the influence in April 2007. His blood level was 0.097 percent, high enough to have his driver’s license suspended.
Shin, the lead vocalist of Shinhwa, debuted in 1998 and has had a solo singing career while continuing the veteran group’s activities since 2005. His latest release was the special album, “Setlist,” released in October 2019.
