Singer Kim Tae-woo fined for taking private ambulance to get to event venue

Kim Tae Woo, a member of South Korean band g.o.d., was ordered to pay a fine of 5 million won (US$ 3,690) for using a private ambulance to avoid traffic congestion on his way to an event venue, judicial officials said Monday.

Kim, 42, hopped into the private ambulance in Goyang, north of Seoul, to get to an event venue in the Seongdong district in eastern Seoul in March 2018. An employee of the event’s organizing agency at the time had paid 300,000 won to the driver.

The prosecution filed a summary indictment with a fine of 5 million won against Kim on charges of violating the Emergency Medical Service Act in March this year.

In August, a court ordered Kim to pay a fine of 5 million won, which was confirmed on Oct. 5 as he did not request a trial.

Kim apologized for using a private ambulance.

“It is my fault, without excuses,” Kim said in a statement released by his management agency. “I am deeply reflecting (on my actions), and I will make sure such incidents don’t happen again.”

The reason Kim’s case came to light after five years is that the Incheon District Court recently sentenced the ambulance driver to 18 months in prison and a fine of 2 million won. The driver had a track record of being penalized five times for drunk driving and three times for driving without a driver’s license since 2007.