Lizzy's arrest has brought Kangin into the limelight (Image via @luvlyzzy, @kanginnim/Instagram)

After School's former member Lizzy sentenced to a year in prison for DUI, fans question why Kangin was let off easy

Modified Sep 27, 2021 06:17 GMT

After School's former member, Lizzy has been sentenced to a year in prison by the Seoul Central District Court. The former idol was tried for a DUI case, and the incident reportedly occurred on May 18. The first trial in the case was held on September 27, and the decision was made soon eno.

After the sentence was made public, fans questioned why the K-Pop idol received a harsher punishment than former Super Junior member Kangin, who committed the same crime.

Netizens react to Lizzy's sentence on DUI case

After the sentencing of Lizzy's case was widely publicized, many netizens shared their opinion. A few wondered why Super Junior member Kangin did not receive similar sentencing for his crime.

A screenshot of reaction from netizens about Lizzy’s prison sentence (Image via allkpop)

The discussion also centered on how Kangin had had multiple DUIs, yet he did not receive a harsh sentence. Fans of K-Pop speculated that this was because the former Super Junior member was more popular, among other things.

Kangin was indicted in 2009 for DUI and hit-and-run and fined 8 million Won, which is close to $6000. He was prosecuted for another DUI in 2016.

Lizzy's incident happened earlier this year (Image via @luvlyzzy/Instagram)

Kangin announced his exit from Super Junior in 2019 and had explained that he no longer wanted to trouble the other members of the group because of his behavior.

The 36-year-old was also involved in another assault case in 2009 where he was accused of attacking a woman while he was drunk. The alleged victim decided not to press charges, so he was let off with a warning.

Why was former After School member Lizzy sentenced to prison?

Lizzy, who previously belonged to After School, was involved in a DUI case as she hit a taxi with her car. The incident occurred at the south intersection of Yongdong Bridge in Gangnam-do.

There were no significant injuries due to the incident, but it was reported that the star's blood alcohol concentration level was 0.197%. According to the law in South Korea, this was high enough for her license to be revoked then.

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At the time of her first trial, Lizzy apologized in court and also confessed her crimes. The prosecution then pleaded for a year in prison.

The former idol was indicted on charges of dangerous driving under the Additional Punishment Law on Specific Crimes and violating the Road Traffic Act with her DUI.

What did former After School member Lizzy say in court?

In her closing statement, Lizzy expressed:

"I apologize to the taxi driver and to the general public who could have fallen as a victim of my hasty decision. I have been advocating against driving under the influence, and yet I have done the very wrong thing due to my ill-advised decision at the moment."

She further stated:

"I promise that this wouldn't happen again ever in my life. I will not let anybody down from this point onward, including myself. I was afraid of myself but coming here for the trial was more terrifying."

It remains to be seen how the backlash to this decision with respect to Kangin's earlier letting off will play out.

Edited by
Ravi Iyer