Comedian Lee Kyung-kyu admits driving after taking anxiety medication

Comedian Lee Kyung-kyu, center, stands before reporters after being questioned at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on Tuesday over allegations of driving under the influence of prescription medication. Yonhap

Comedian Lee Kyung-kyu has acknowledged driving while under the influence of prescription medication for panic disorder, police said Tuesday.

The Seoul Gangnam Police Station summoned Lee, 65, for questioning as a suspect in violating the Road Traffic Act. The session began around 9 p.m. and ended at 10:45 p.m., during which he explained why he had taken the wheel after medicating.

“I didn’t fully recognize that I shouldn’t drive when I’m unwell after taking panic disorder medication,” he told reporters after the interview. “If anyone is on similar medication, they should refrain from driving, and I will be more careful in the future. I apologize to fans who have long supported me.”

His lawyer, reading a statement on Lee’s behalf, said the entertainer has suffered from panic disorder for a decade and took his prescribed drugs the night before the incident.

Feeling worse the next day, he chose to drive himself to a hospital, a decision he called “negligence with no excuse.”

Police allege that around 2 p.m. on June 8, Lee drove through Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam District, after taking medication. He entered and moved a vehicle identical to his own, triggering a theft report.

Officers dispatched to the scene performed a roadside drug test, which returned a positive result. A confirmation test by the National Forensic Service also came back positive, prompting officers to book him formally.

Under Article 45 of Korea’s Road Traffic Act, it is illegal to operate a vehicle while impaired by any drug, prescribed or otherwise, if the medication diminishes concentration or cognitive ability.

Lee said the vehicle mix-up occurred because he was holding his own key and found the similar car unlocked with its ignition key left inside, calling it a valet error.

Police will review Lee’s statements and test results before deciding whether to forward the case to prosecutors.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.