Actor Park Sang-min, who was brought to trial for his third drunk driving offense, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term in the appeals court as well.
The Suwon District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 1-2 (Presiding Judges Lee Heon-sook, Kim Jong-geun, and Jeong Chang-geun) sentenced Mr. Park to six months in prison, suspended for two years, on the 16th for violating the Road Traffic Act. The court dismissed both the defendant's and the prosecution's appeals, stating, "There are no changes in circumstances, and the original sentence is appropriate."
On May 19 of last year, around 8 a.m., Park Sang-min was found asleep in a back alley while driving his Toyota vehicle under the influence of alcohol in the area of Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. He was caught by the police after a citizen reported the suspicious situation. At the time, his blood alcohol concentration was 0.163%, significantly exceeding the license suspension threshold of 0.08%.
Notably, he had a history of two previous drunk driving offenses. In 1997, he was caught by the police for a drunk driving accident in Gangnam, Seoul, and in 2011, he was again caught while driving a vehicle belonging to a junior colleague with a blood alcohol level that warranted a license suspension.
Park Sang-min made his debut in the 1990 film 'The General's Son' and received the Best New Actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Daejong Film Awards.
