Former k-pop star Ahn Ye Song sentenced to eight years for drunk driving incident

• Ex-K-pop star Ahn Ye Song sentenced for fatal DUI.
• Sentence reduced to eight years after remorse and family settlement.
• Ahn cited financial struggles, expressed regret for victim's death.

Ahn Ye Song, a former member of the K-pop girl group INSTAR turned DJ, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for causing a fatal drunk driving accident in February. The incident, which occurred in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, left an elderly delivery worker dead.

South Korean media reports that Ahn, also known as DJ Yesong, was driving her Mercedes-Benz SUV under the influence when she struck the motorcyclist while attempting to flee the scene of an earlier collision. Initially, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison due to the severity of the crime and her failure to assist the victim. However, the sentence was reduced to eight years after Ahn expressed remorse and reached a settlement with the victim's family.

During the September hearing, Ahn’s legal team acknowledged her intoxication, stating, “She drank excessively at an industry event and drove while intoxicated and has no recollection of the incident.” Ahn later explained her actions, citing financial struggles as a contributing factor. “At the time, I was experiencing financial hardship due to the lack of bookings. I was at an important gathering that had my livelihood at stake, and I couldn’t refuse to drink,” she said.

Ahn expressed deep regret, admitting, “This led me to make an inexcusable pain to the victim.”

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