≪Tae Yuna’s Oh Ye≫
Today's notable entertainment
Following Koo Ja-myeong and Lee Chang-myeong in 'Drunk Driving', Horan also begins his return to 'King of Mask Singer'
Today's notable entertainment
Following Koo Ja-myeong and Lee Chang-myeong in 'Drunk Driving', Horan also begins his return to 'King of Mask Singer'
≪Tae Yuna’s Oh Ye≫
‘The era of content overflow’. For readers who are wondering what to watch, reporter Tae Yu-na and Ten Asia will serve as an ‘entertainment guide.’ It adds fun to watching the program by delving into hot issues in the entertainment industry, as well as watching points, major characters, and behind-the-scenes stories.
Following singer Koo Ja-myeong and comedian Lee Chang-myeong, singer Horan's return was also set. There is a 'three strikes' system for drunk driving, and MBC's entertainment show 'King of Mask Singer' appears to be unaware of the seriousness of the problem even though it features celebrities who have committed drunk driving three times.
On the 'King of Masked Singer' broadcast on the 9th, singer Horan, who had been caught drunk driving three times, was eliminated from the King of Singer competition and revealed his identity. Horan, who took off his mask that day, said, "Actually, I thought I would not fall in the first round, but I am grateful that I stayed until the end. I felt warm support from the first round. I was able to muster the courage to stand until the end."
At the same time, he announced the news that “a new single (album) will be released soon.” The production team cheered for her return with the subtitle, ‘Voice Queen Horan, let’s meet again on stage.’
However, after Horan's identity was revealed, opposition arose on the MBC viewer bulletin board. It is inconvenient for habitual drunk driving offenders to return. In addition, public opinion was even more critical of the fact that the first news on 'News Desk', which aired immediately after 'King of Mask Singer', was the news of an elementary school student who died in a drunk driving accident.
Horan also has a record of injuring a sanitation worker in a drunk driving accident. Horan was caught for drunk driving a total of three times in 2004, 2007, and 2016. In the early morning of September 29, 2016, while driving a car while drunk, he crashed into a construction vehicle parked on the side of a three-lane road while driving near the southern end of Seongsu Bridge, and the sanitation worker in the driver's seat was injured. Horan was summarily indicted with a fine of 7 million won, and his license acquisition was restricted for two years under the 'Three Strikes Out' system for drunk driving.
Also, due to this, the project group Clazziquai (Horan, Alex, Clazzi) was forced to fold without even being able to properly promote their 7th full-length album, which was released in two years.
This is not the first time that 'King of Masked Singer' has featured a celebrity who has been under controversy for drunk driving. Comedian Lee Chang-myeong also returned to terrestrial television for the first time in 10 years through 'King of Mask Singer' in June 2022, but received only a cold response from the public.
At the time, Lee Chang-myung strongly expressed his will to continue broadcasting activities, saying, “I am really happy and I want to bury my bones in MBC,” after appearing on a terrestrial broadcasting station for the first time in a long time. He must have been even more proud because he was found not guilty of drunk driving after a two-year legal battle.
At that time, Lee Chang-myeong disappeared after a drunk driving accident, but reappeared 21 hours later and used the Widmark formula to measure his blood alcohol level at the time. Even though it was estimated to be 0.148%, which is the level for revoking a driver's license, he stubbornly denied it and was acquitted at trial, but the suspicion was not completely cleared. Some strongly criticized Lee Chang-myeong, saying he had opened up a serious 'trick' to get away with drunk driving.
‘King of Masked Singer’ was also the stage for singer Koo Ja-myeong’s comeback performance after enlisting in the military after causing social controversy due to drunk driving. He took off his mask after losing unfortunately in the competition with the King of Singers, and said, "I wondered if I would be able to return to the stage while serving as a social worker after not being able to go on active duty in the military due to an injury. I was worried about giving up," and added, "Ironically, I quit singing because of singing." “I thought about it, but it was the song that gave me strength again, so I found the courage to stand here,” he said, breaking down in tears as he struggled to open his mouth. However, there was no direct apology for drunk driving.
In a long post about his return after the broadcast, he said, "At a time when I was so overwhelmed by receiving so much attention and love at a young age, I should have behaved a little more maturely, but I couldn't, so I look back and think about the most precious thing in my life. Although he expressed regret and reflection by saying, "I have had an important time that will never come again and should never come again," I cannot shake the feeling that he is trying to avoid the controversial issue of drunk driving.
The public's standards for drunk driving have increased. It doesn't matter whether you were acquitted, whether it was a one-time mistake, or whether you were a habitual drunkard. The important thing is that drunk driving is an act of preliminary murder that can take a person's life. No public wants to see someone like that. This is why the outpouring of voices calling for abolition on ‘King of Mask Singer’ is not excessive.
Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr