Prosecutors have fined actor Kim Sae-ron (23), who hit a tree and a transformer while drinking and driving.

The prosecutor's office asked the court to "sentence the defendant to a fine of 8 million won" at Mr. Kim's trial, which was held today (4th) before Judge Lee Whan-hwa of the Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Law.

The prosecutor pointed out that "the defendant caused an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol with a very high blood alcohol content and fled without taking any action, which is not of good quality."

However, he added, "We confessed to all the crimes and worked with the affected merchants to recover from the damage."



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Dressed in a black blouse and her hair tied short, Kim sat in the defendant's seat and listened quietly to the trial.

Asked by the tribunal if he had "anything he wanted to say", he replied: "This will never happen again. I'm so sorry. I'm reflecting."

Mr. Kim's lawyer said, "The defendant has paid a huge amount of damages and is experiencing economic hardship as a result," and asked for "the best possible sentence."

After the trial, Mr. Kim replied briefly "I'm sorry" to a reporter's question about whether he had anything to say, and walked out of the courthouse.



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The prosecution fined Kim's passenger 500 million won at the time of the accident.

The court will announce its verdict on the morning of the 5th of next month.

Mr. Kim was driving drunk in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul around 5 a.m. on May 18 last year when he hit a guardrail and a tree several times.

Kim's car also collided with a transformer, knocking out electricity to 8 nearby shops, which were restored in about three hours.

At the time of the accident, Kim's blood-alcohol level was measured at more than 57.3 percent, well above the level of license revocation.

A former child actor, Kim has appeared in films such as "Uncle," "Neighbours" and "Barbie," as well as dramas such as "The Queen's Classroom" and "Witch Bogam," but stopped working after the accident.

(Photo = Yonhap News)