Former WINNER Member Nam Tae-hyun Faces Second Court Hearing for DUI and Speeding Charges

The second court hearing for Nam Tae-hyun, former member of the group WINNER, regarding his DUI and speeding charges is set to resume.

On the 12th, the Seoul Western District Court's Criminal Division 11 will hold the second hearing for Nam Tae-hyun's violation of the Road Traffic Act (DUI). The hearing was initially scheduled for January 15 but was postponed.

Nam Tae-hyun is accused of causing an accident while driving under the influence near the Dongjak Bridge on the Gangbyeon Expressway heading towards Ilsan last April. He allegedly hit the central divider while overtaking another vehicle. At the time, he was driving at a speed of 182 km/h, far exceeding the road's speed limit of 80 km/h.

Nam Tae-hyun's blood alcohol concentration was over 0.08%, the level at which a driver's license is revoked. Fortunately, there were no casualties from the accident. He admitted to all charges during the first hearing.

This is not Nam Tae-hyun's first DUI offense. In 2023, he received a summary order to pay a fine of 6 million KRW for a similar charge. At that time, while waiting for a designated driver, he opened the door of his parked vehicle, which collided with a passing taxi, damaging the taxi's right side mirror. Despite having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.114%, well above the revocation level, he moved his car 5 to 10 meters, leading to his DUI charge.

Notably, he was caught driving under the influence again while under investigation for drug charges in 2023. This incident occurred during his probation period for drug use. In August 2022, Nam Tae-hyun was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation for using methamphetamine with his ex-girlfriend Seo Min-jae (now Seo Eun-woo) via Telegram and for using methamphetamine alone overseas in December of the same year.

By Yeji Ryu, TenAsia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr