Husband of actress Han Ji-seong, who died after stopping car in middle of expressway, booked by police

Rumours swirled that South Korean TV actress Han Ji-seong was drunk when she got out of her car, right in the middle of a busy expressway.

The 28-year-old was killed when a taxi hit her - Han had gone to the back of the car - after it could not avoid her Mercedes-Benz.

She was then hit by a sports utility vehicle in the May 6 incident.

Now, her lawyer-husband, whom she married in March this year, has been booked by the police for aiding and abetting Han's driving under the influence of alcohol.

According E Online, the Gimpo Police Station called him in on July 10 for questioning.

He was subsequently booked without detention.

Earlier media reports said he admitted that he drank with friends on the night of the incident. He added that he did not know whether Han had taken alcohol or not.

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An autopsy report showed she had a blood alcohol content of about 0.1 per cent, higher than the 0.08 per cent legal threshold.

The accident made headlines over why Han stopped in the middle of the highway near Incheon International Airport.

The husband told the police that he had to take a toilet break in the woods next to the road.

He did not know why Han did not pull over on the road shoulder for safety reasons.

Other reports said Han was unsteady on her feet and appeared to be vomiting outside the car, sparking talk that she might have taken drugs or alcohol.

Netizens also floated theories over why the husband claimed that he did not know about the tragedy until he came back to the scene.

How could he not hear the impact of the crash, they wondered.

They speculated that he was drunk too, and that the couple had quarrelled in the car, leading to her rash decision to stop in the middle of the road, even though she switched on the car's emergency lights.

Some even questioned if the husband stood to gain from the accident, urging the authorities to check if he had recently bought insurance policies.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for republication.