K-pop boy band 2AM member Im Seulong will avoid imprisonment and will be fined only for a traffic accident on Aug. 1 in which he hit and killed a man in his 50s with his car.
Prosecutors indicted Seulong on Nov. 3 but have decided to file a summary order or summary indictment–instead of seeking a trial–with a court against the 33-year-old singer after he settled with the family of the victim.
Seulong is facing charges of violating South Korea’s Act On Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents, which imposes “imprisonment without prison labor for not more than five years or by a fine not exceeding 20 million won ” when a person causes death or injury of another person through occupational or gross negligence.
Under the summary order, Seulong’s case will not go to trial. According to Korea’s Ministry of Justice website, “a summary order is issued to the effect that the defendant is sentenced to a fine or penalty, or to forfeit.”
This is stipulated under Article 448 of Korea’s Criminal Procedure Act, which states that “a district court may, on a prosecutor's demand, impose a fine, minor fine, or confiscation upon the criminal defendant by a summary order without ordinary proceedings of trial.”
It is now up to the judge whether to accept or deny the prosecution’s request. Article 450 states that “if it is considered that a case does not admit of a summary order being issued or that it is not proper to do so, trial shall be conducted in accordance with the ordinary proceedings.”
According to the Seoul Western District Prosecutor’s Office, “we considered the fact that Seulong had an agreement with the bereaved family. We cannot reveal the exact amount of the fine.”
At about 11:50 p.m. on Aug. 1, Seulong was driving an SUV at a three-way intersection on Susaek-ro near the Digital Media City subway station in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul when a man crossed the road at a red light.
CCTV footage showed that the man, who was dressed in black and was holding an umbrella, crossed the road and in just two seconds, he was struck by Seulong’s car. The man tried to avoid his car but was hit. Seulong immediately stopped after hitting him.
The victim was taken to a hospital but died. Seulong was found not to be under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred.
After the accident, Jellyfish Entertainment, Seulong’s agency, said that “on August 1, Im Seulong caused a traffic accident due to slippery road conditions while driving. The car he drove collided with a pedestrian crossing the street. Immediately after the accident, Im Seulong took relief measures at the scene, but unfortunately the victim passed away on the way to the hospital,” JTBC Plus reported.
The Seoul Seobu Police Station submitted the case to the prosecution on Aug. 27 after summoning and investigating Seulong on Aug. 25 and found that he had some negligence in the accident.
Caption
Im Seulong (Twitter)