Nam Tae Hyun receives one-year prison sentence in first trial for drunk driving

Nam Tae Hyun, former member of the popular idol group WINNER, has been sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial for drunk driving committed during his probation period.

Judge Yang Eun Sang of the Seoul Western District Court’s Criminal Division 11 handed down the sentence on April 9, also imposing a fine of 1 million KRW (about 675 USD). The sentence is lower than the one year and six months requested by the prosecution.

The court stated that “due to the extremely high risk to road safety, strict punishment is necessary,” but declined to issue a detention order, citing no risk of evidence tampering or flight. Nam will remain free until the ruling becomes final.

Nam is accused of driving under the influence in the early hours of April 27 last year near Dongjak Bridge on the Gangbyeonbuk-ro highway toward Ilsan. He collided with the central divider while driving at 182 km/h, more than double the 80 km/h speed limit. His blood alcohol concentration at the time was 0.122%, well above the legal threshold of 0.08%. No injuries were reported.

The incident occurred while Nam was serving probation for a January 2024 drug conviction, for which he had received a one-year prison sentence with a two-year probation. Previously, in March 2023, Nam received a fine of 6 million KRW (about 4,050 USD) for a minor collision with a taxi while intoxicated in a residential area of Gangnam, Seoul.

Debuting with YG Entertainment’s WINNER in 2014, Nam left the group after two years and later formed the band South Club. However, he stepped back from the entertainment industry following multiple controversies.

During his final statement last month, Nam acknowledged his wrongdoing, saying, “I understand that my past actions are unacceptable. I will change myself to ensure this never happens again.”

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