Former idol-turned-DJ Ahn Yesong has been sentenced to eight years in prison for killing a delivery man while driving under the influence in Seoul.
The 23-year-old, formerly of the defunct group Instar, had her eight-year prison sentence finalized by the Supreme Court's 3rd Division, according to a report by Newsis on December 15.
Justice Lee Hong-gu, who presides over the court, dismissed Ahn's appeal against a 10-year sentence on December 10.
She had been found guilty under South Korea's Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, for counts of dangerous driving resulting in death, as well as fleeing the scene of the crime, according to Hankyung.
The DJ is also charged with avoidance of after-accident measures and drink-driving under the Road Traffic Act.
The incident occurred on February 3 at around 4:35 am in Seoul's Gangnam district.
Ahn was arrested after crashing into a delivery driver in his 50s, who was driving on a motorcycle.
At the time of the incident, Ahn's blood alcohol level was reported to be 0.221 percent, well above the threshold of 0.08 percent for license revocation in South Korea.
The incident was also Ahn's second accident of the night, with photos of the DJ revealing that she held onto her pet dog instead of administering aid to the injured victim.
"After the first incident, the victim said that the defendant got out of the car and said, 'Do I look like I've been drinking? Please look past this just once,' and then fled the scene and caused a second accident," said the judge in a prior sentence, according to Hankyung.
"But she did not even remember how she drove or caused the accident, and she made excuses that are not easily convincing."
The judge added that Ahn, while fleeing, incurred traffic violations including "stopping in the middle of the road for no reason" and "changing lanes while speeding" and was also driving at 100km/h prior to the second accident when the speed limit was 50km/h.
The prosecution initially sought a 15-year sentence citing the serious nature of the crime and due to Ahn "shifting responsibility to the victim even though it resulted in the loss of life, showing a severe lack of culpability," according to Chosun Ilbo.
The defense requested leniency, prompting Ahn to compensate the first victim 5 million won ($3,475) and settle with the deceased's family in private.
Despite Ahn's pleas for clemency and an apology statement to the family, the judge of the case believed it "questionable whether the defendant is seriously remorseful," according to Star News Korea.
