2 iKON members involved in drunk driving accident

YG Entertainment released an official statement on Tuesday apologizing for two members of K-pop group iKON being involved in a drunk driving accident.

The accident occurred before dawn Monday when a car with the drunk driver and two iKON members -- Kim Jin-hwan and Koo Jun-hoe -- drove into a highway wall in South Gyeongsang Province. The driver, who is the manager of iKON, had a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent according to police reports, which leads to termination of the driver’s license. The manager reportedly drove around 10 kilometers before the accident.

“The injury level of members in the car along with driver A wasn’t severe according to the doctors, and after emergency treatment, they are currently resting in their lodging,” YG Entertainment said in the apology statement. “The company feels heavy concern and responsibility that such an accident occurred despite having strict company regulations.”

The announcement by YG Entertainment, however, did not state whether the two bandmates were aware that the driver had been drinking.

In the first police investigation, the two iKON bandmates gave testimony saying that they were not drunk themselves. Police have stated that whether they can be charged for failure to prevent drunk driving will require further investigation.

Under criminal law, punishment could include up to three years in prison or less than 10 million won ($8,300) in fines if the person actively suggested drunk driving.

Meanwhile, the former leader of iKON, B.I left the group in June last year after police received a report concerning his drug use. At the time, B.I said he did not do drugs but admitted to being interested in purchasing them at a prior point, saying that he would leave the group for causing the scandal.

By Lim Jang-won (ljw@heraldcorp.com)