Shinhwa's Shin Hye-sung sentenced to 6 months in prison

Shin Hye-sung of Shinhwa departs the Seoul Eastern District Court at Songpa District, southern Seoul, after a court ruling on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Shin Hye-sung, a member of K-pop boy band Shinhwa, was sentenced to 6 months in prison suspended for one year, for refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

The Seoul Eastern District Court on Thursday handed the suspended prison sentence to Shin for violating the traffic law. The 44-year-old singer was arrested on Oct. 11 last year for refusing to take a breathalyzer test after he was found sleeping in a car on a bridge in Songpa District, southern Seoul.

Shin drove the vehicle owned by another person after drinking alcohol at a restaurant in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, the previous day. He fell asleep midway across a bridge over Tancheon Stream.

The police arrived at the scene after receiving a report and demanded a sobriety test, which Shin refused. He was taken into custody for infringing road traffic law.

Shin was also initially accused of car theft but the court judged that he had no intention of stealing the car.

Shin said he is “sorry” when reporters approached him following the court ruling.

Police had caught Shin driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level of 0.097 percent, above the driver’s license suspension limit of 0.08 percent, in April 2007.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]