Singer Jung Dong-won (18) has been caught driving without a license, and the identity of the blackmailer who demanded 500 million won from him has been revealed.
On the 11th, it was reported that Jung Dong-won is under investigation by the prosecution for driving a vehicle without a license in Hadong, Gyeongnam in 2023. At that time, Jung Dong-won was only 16 years old and could not obtain a driver's license.
According to Article 82 of the Road Traffic Act, a person can obtain a driver's license, including a first-class ordinary license, starting at the age of 18. Driving a vehicle without a license can result in a maximum of 10 months in prison or a fine of 3 million won.
It is reported that a person identified as A, who was an acquaintance, took Jung Dong-won's phone from his house and found a video of Jung Dong-won driving in his photo album, after which he blackmailed him for money, leading Jung Dong-won to report it to the police.
The YouTuber Yeon-ae Dui Tong-ryeong claimed that the identity of the blackmailer is none other than a friend of Jung Dong-won from Seoul. This blackmailer demanded 500 million won from Jung Dong-won in exchange for silence.
Lee Jin-ho stated in his YouTube video, "Jung Dong-won came up to Seoul and spent his daily life," adding, "'The Seoul friend' occasionally visited Jung Dong-won's house and built a friendship. It seems that this acquaintance stole Jung Dong-won's phone from his house."
Regarding reports that Jung Dong-won handed over 100 million won to the blackmailer, he said, "Jung Dong-won thought that if he gave even 100,000 won, he could be swayed, so he didn't give even 1 won. It is true that he prepared money to catch the blackmailer by pretending to have 100 million won."
He also claimed, "After the blackmailer was caught, Jung Dong-won received his phone back. The other party requested a settlement and leniency, but he did not comply."
Meanwhile, after this incident became known, Jung Dong-won admitted to driving without a license and apologized. His agency, Show Play, stated, "Jung Dong-won practiced driving for about 10 minutes on mountain roads near his hometown in Hadong, and there is a fact that a passenger filmed that scene," adding, "He deeply regrets and reflects on the mistake of practicing driving without a license."
They continued, "We will do our best to manage and educate our artists to grow into more mature and responsible members of society through this incident. We will thoroughly guide them to prevent such unfortunate incidents from occurring in the future."
Jung Dong-won's fandom also released a statement saying, "This is a mistake that cannot be justified for any reason," and "Jung Dong-won made a reckless decision during his minor years, and that behavior deserves criticism. Love and support for the artist do not exempt him from legal responsibility. We strongly demand prevention of recurrence and a mature attitude."
This is already the second violation of the Road Traffic Act for Jung Dong-won. In March 2023, he was also subject to a suspended indictment for driving a motorcycle on the Dongbu Expressway in Seoul, where motorcycle traffic is prohibited.
Jung Dong-won has been active in broadcasting since childhood. Starting with 'National Singing Contest' in 2018, he gained attention as a 'Trot prodigy' by appearing in shows like 'Talent Discovery Team' and 'Human Theater,' and rose to stardom by placing 5th at the age of 13 in the trot audition program 'Mr. Trot' aired in 2020. Since then, he has been active in various fields, including as a K-pop idol JD1, concerts, and music releases.
