Actor Kwak Do-won forced to repay culture ministry after drunk driving incident

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Published: 27 Sep. 2022, 12:34 Updated: 27 Sep. 2022, 12:48

Actor Kwak Do-won forced to repay culture ministry after drunk driving incident

Actor Kwak Do-won [YONHAP]

Actor Kwak Do-won has been forced to return money he received from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism after shooting a public service advertisement for the government body, following his involvement in a drunk driving incident Sunday.

According to a local news outlet Newsis on Monday, Kwak shot a public service advertisement for the government ministry under the title "The War On Digital Sex Crime."

Kwak was the only person who appeared in the advertisement. He is said to have discussed the dangers of digital sex crimes in the clips. The advertisement was set to be released in two parts, one of which had been made public but has since been taken down.

Actor Kwak Do-won during a now-deleted advertisement against digital sex crimes for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kwak was charged with drunk driving after falling asleep in his vehicle in the middle of a road on Jeju Island, according to the Jeju Seobu Police Station on Sunday.

He was found asleep in his vehicle by police near Eoeum Elementary School in Aewol-eup, Jeju. The police received a report that a car was stopped in the middle of the road and discovered the sleeping actor in said vehicle.

Kwak subsequently underwent a breathalyzer test, which showed that his blood alcohol level was 0.08 percent — which warrants his driver’s license to be revoked.

The actor currently resides on Jeju Island.

“We give our sincerest apologies that such disgraceful thing happened,” the agency stated. “Regardless of the reason, Kwak and the agency feel heavy responsibility. We are sorry for causing concern to those who have been supporting Kwak, and apologize once again for causing trouble.”

In relation to the retraction of its payment to Kwak, the ministry cited the contract with the actor which states that the the ministry can withdraw its entire payment if Kwak is embroiled in a social scandal such as drunk driving.

Kwak debuted in 1992 and is best known for his roles in films “ Steel Rain2: Summit” (2020), “The Golden Holiday” (2020) and “Never Give Up” (2022). The film “The Firefighters” starring Kwak is set to hit local theaters some time this year.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]