Kiwoom's Lee Yong-kyu Retires After Drunk Driving Accident Involving Police Car

[Anchor]

Lee Yong-kyu, a coach for the Kiwoom Heroes professional baseball team and a former national team player, has caused an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol. He ran a red light and even struck a police car parked on the shoulder. The incident was captured on CCTV.

Reporter Jeong Jiyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

Around 6:30 a.m. yesterday (June 12), on a road in Guri, Gyeonggi Province.

Although the traffic light had turned red, a white passenger car sped through the intersection.

A short while later, people emerged one by one, pointing toward where the vehicle had headed.

[Witness: There was a loud noise. It sounded like a 'crash,' a 'bang-bang' kind of sound. Two 119 ambulances arrived with their sirens blaring. The roadside was completely littered with car parts.]

The vehicle involved was a Porsche driven by Kiwoom Heroes coach Lee Yong-kyu.

The rear window was completely shattered, revealing the interior of the car, and debris from the accident was piled up on the side of the road.

The vehicle struck two other cars in succession on the six-lane road. Police believe Coach Lee drove straight through a red light and hit a passenger car that was making a U-turn from the opposite direction.

Lee's vehicle only came to a stop after hitting a police car that was parked on the shoulder.

Two people, including the driver of the U-turn vehicle and a police officer, were injured and received medical treatment.

At the time of the accident, Lee's blood alcohol concentration was at a level warranting the revocation of his driver's license. It is reported that he was on his way home after drinking with acquaintances.

The Kiwoom Heroes stated that Coach Lee "expressed deep remorse for his actions, took full responsibility, and stated his intention to end his professional career," and that the club has accepted his resignation.

A former national team player, Lee had a 20-year professional baseball career and had been serving as a playing coach for the Kiwoom Heroes since the spring of last year.

The police have booked Lee on charges of drunk driving and dangerous driving resulting in injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, and are currently investigating the case.

(Video reporting: Kim Young-hwan | Video editing: Kim Jong-mi | Design: Hwang Se-yeon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.