In an unfolding legal case, a 44-year-old unlicensed ambulance driver, hereafter mentioned as A, who ferried singer Kim Tae Woo, member of 1st generation's iconic group g.o.d, for a fee, has been sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison along with a 2 million KRW (approx. US$1,670) fine. This verdict comes as a result of A's violations of the Emergency Medical Services Act and driving without a valid license under the Road Traffic Act.
The incident dates back to March 2018 when A transported Kim Tae Woo from Ilsan, Goyang, to an event venue in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, using an unlicensed ambulance. At the time, a representative from the entertainment company to which Tae Woo was affiliated allegedly shared A's contact information with an event management company employee, noting that the use of an unlicensed ambulance could help avoid traffic congestion.
Subsequently, the event management company employee contacted A, requesting that Kim Tae Woo be transported, and A accepted 300,000 KRW ($250) as payment for the service.
In connection with this incident, the prosecution also took legal action against the entertainment company executive, the event management company employee, and Kim Tae Woo himself, charging them with violations of the Emergency Medical Services Act.
It's worth noting that the legal action against Kim Tae Woo and the others took the form of a simplified prosecution, a procedure that allows for the imposition of fines or property confiscation without a full trial.
A, who had previous records of driving under the influence, was also charged with operating an ambulance without a license from August 2021 to March 2022. Judge Hong Jun Seo remarked that A's persistent excuses and prior offenses, including drunk driving, warranted a strict penalty.
Kim Tae Woo, who made his debut as the main vocalist of the group g.o.d in 1999, is celebrated as a national idol, known for numerous hit songs. In 2009, he embarked on a solo career with the release of "Love Rain," and in recent years, he has also held concerts with other g.o.d members.
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While I agree with the sentiments that the company and Kim Tae Woo should face a harsher punishment just like the driver, I don't think some people understand why this is so serious. The same offense would be held if someone was impersonating a law enforcement official, and in this case they did something illegal and dangerous just so they could avoid an get through traffic. Because that is the point when working as an ambulance driver, you have the permission to move quickly through traffic (and in most countries traffic should yield in some way for the ambulance to pass) as your objective is to get your ill or injured party to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible. To abuse such a privilege in order to get to your destination because you're famous is frivolously inconsiderate at best and abhorrently selfish at worst. All because he wanted to make it through traffic to an event. If you're so famous, hire a legal transporting service, or make it clear that schedules either can't overlap. If neither of those work, just take the hit and realize that you're just going to be late because you're not that important. What a disgraceful situation all around.
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