Moon Jae-in's daughter apologizes on way to questioning over alleged drunk driving

Moon Da-hye, the daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, apologized as she appeared for questioning by the police over an alleged drunk driving incident.

Moon Da-hye, daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, appears for an investigation over her alleged drunk driving incident at Yonsan Police Station in central Seoul on Friday. [YONHAP]

The daughter of former President Moon Jae-in apologized on Friday as she appeared for a police investigation regarding an alleged drunk driving incident.

This marks the first summons since Moon Da-hye, 41, was booked by police 13 days ago on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.

"I am sorry,” she told reporters in front of the Yongsan Police Station in central Seoul.

Following her appearance, she issued a separate apology letter to the press, saying she “deeply apologizes to everyone.”

“I made a serious mistake that I should not have made,” she wrote. “I will reflect on myself and ensure that a similar incident does not happen again.”

She also expressed remorse to the taxi driver she collided with, who reported the incident to the police.

“I was able to stop driving and avoid a larger accident thanks to the driver’s report,” she said in the letter. “I sincerely thank the driver, and I am grateful that they accepted my apology after the accident.”

On Oct. 5, Moon collided with a taxi while changing lanes without signaling in front of the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon at 2:51 a.m. She is also accused of running a red light and making an improper left turn at an intersection prior to the accident.

Her blood alcohol level was reportedly 0.14 percent, well above the legal limit of 0.08 percent, which is the threshold for revoking a driver's license.

She is also suspected of illegally parking her car on a street in Itaewon, Yongsan District, central Seoul.

According to CCTV footage, Moon parked her car in front of a construction site in Itaewon at 6:57 p.m. on Oct. 4 before heading to a nearby restaurant. The area where she parked was marked with a yellow dotted line, prohibiting parking for more than five minutes.

The car remained parked for about seven hours until she returned around 2:15 a.m., allegedly intoxicated.

Police booked Moon on charges of drunk driving in violation of the Road Traffic Act. Although the taxi driver sustained minor injuries, it is unlikely she will face additional charges for "injury due to dangerous driving" under the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes Act, as she reached a criminal settlement with the driver on Oct. 9.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]