Kwon Sang-woo likely to receive fine for car accident

Published on 2010/06/28 | Source

Actor kwon Sang-woo, who was belatedly known to have been indicted on charges of fleeing after colliding his car into several vehicles more than two weeks ago, is expected to receive a fine for the incident.

"There is a high possibility the case will be closed with Kwon receiving just a fine", an official at Seoul's Gangnam Police Station told Asia Economic Daily over the phone on Sunday, saying that the case was turned over to prosecutors as an incident in which Kwon did not take immediate action for the damage he inflicted.

The case was originally reported to be a hit-and-run but the official explained there were no casualties involved and damage was done only to property such as objects and vehicles.

Earlier, police had also stated that Kwon had been driving on the wrong side of a road in the posh affluent Cheongdam district before the accident occurred but the official said "there was some exaggeration" and that the actor rather had crossed over a centerline to turn into an alley.

Confusion ran throughout the country last week when news broke out that Kwon, also one of the most popular Korean actors in Japan, had been involved in an alleged hit-and-run.

Police had said he had collided into a parked car when police discovered him driving on the wrong side of the road, then ran his car into the police vehicle trying to back out from the collision, and drove away for about 300 meters before hitting a flowerbed.

He abandoned his vehicle and fled the scene, showing up at the police station two days later to undergo investigation for the incident.

Kwon's agency explained through a press release on Friday that the actor's car had "slipped in the rain and collided into a parked car", running into the police vehicle while he was backing up his car to take necessary means to take care of the accident.

Kwon then tried to park his car in front of a wedding hall where the accident occurred, but hit a flowerbed in the parking lot. He panicked and left the scene, but a source close to Kwon later showed up and admitted to the accident.

The agency added that Kwon is "deeply regretting his mistake due to poor driving and his leaving the scene".

Kwon has starred in several notable television dramas and films including "My Tutor Friend" (2003) and "Love So Divine" (2004).

His most famous role to date however, was in the 2003 TV series "Stairway to Heaven", which co-starred another Hallyu star Choi Ji-woo and became a smash hit throughout Asia.

He currently stars in the film "71-Into the Fire", which is based on the true story of 71 student soldiers who fought during the Korean War.