This is the opinion of fans of 17-year-old Jeong Dong-won, who was sent without detention due to controversy over 'illegal riding of a motorcycle.' This means that since it was a minor mistake made by a minor, it cannot interfere with broadcasting activities at all.
Jeong Dong-won, who received blind love from fans, will return on MBN's new entertainment show 'Earth Exploration Life' on the 9th. We joined hands with Crea Studio producer Seo Hye-jin, who discovered Jeong Dong-won as a teenage trot star.
Jeong Dong-won was caught on suspicion of violating the Road Traffic Act while driving a motorcycle on the Eastern Expressway near Gunja Bridge in Seongdong-gu, Seoul around midnight on March 22nd to 23rd. The Dongbu Expressway is a car-only road and motorcycle traffic is prohibited. It appears that Jeong Dong-won, who was unaware of the regulations, entered the Dongbu Expressway by mistake. Riding a motorcycle on an automobile-only road in the middle of the night is a problem that can threaten the safety of other vehicles. The Road Traffic Act stipulates that if a two-wheeled vehicle other than a car travels on a highway or automobile-only road, a fine of up to 300,000 won or detention will be imposed.
At the time, the police attempted to hand over the case to the Youth Guidance Review Committee due to the fact that Jeong Dong-won was a minor. It is a system that ensures that juveniles who commit minor crimes are dealt with through disciplinary action or summary judgment and do not leave a criminal record.
However, Jeong Dong-won, very unusually, rejected this. This is because if a person is filmed attending the Youth Leadership Review Committee, their image as a celebrity will suffer. If the case goes to the prosecution, a lawyer will appear on his behalf, and the maximum fine is 300,000 won, so Jeong Dong-won does not have to stand in front of the cameras for this matter. This means that Jeong Dong-won's side was well aware that this incident was very bad for the celebrity's image.
In fact, these concerns are also revealed in related search terms. When you type Jeong Dong-won on portal sites such as Naver and Google, ‘Jeong Dong-won Motorcycle’ comes up first or second. This is data that reflects the public’s views surrounding Jeong Dong-won.
A little over a month after the issue broke out, Jeong Dong-won announced his activities by returning to a new entertainment show. Regarding this, there are criticisms in the entertainment industry that this may be too much of a forced breakthrough. Even if it is not a legally serious matter, the question is raised as to whether Jeong Dong-won, a representative teenage star, should show reflection. What is missing is Jeong Dong-won's sincere reflection rather than an apology in the name of his agency. The general consensus is that since it is not a big problem from a legal perspective, there are no fans who would go out of their way to ignore Jeong Dong-won's sincerity. From the production team's perspective, there is no need to be suspected of unnecessary noise marketing.
Jeong Dong-won is still a high school student. He is growing, and fans support his growth process. Rather, some point out that Jeong Dong-won's motorcycle racing incident symbolically showed the stress he was under. Fans are hoping that he will completely shake off this incident and show further growth in his Earth exploration life.
Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr