Police in Seoul detained a man in his 30s after he allegedly crashed a Tesla into the exterior structure of a restaurant building in the city’s Gangnam district and then left the scene for a nearby nightclub, where officers later located him with a blood alcohol concentration measured at a level that would justify canceling a driver’s license under South Korean law. Because the alcohol test was administered after the incident, investigators are working to determine whether he was intoxicated while he was actually behind the wheel.
According to the Seoul Gangnam Police Station, the crash occurred at about 3:16 a.m. on August 17 near Apgujeong Station, a landmark in Gangnam-gu. The driver, identified only as Mr. A, is suspected of striking a structural section of a restaurant’s outer wall. Rather than remain at the site, he parked the vehicle nearby and proceeded to a club in the vicinity.
Responding officers arrived to find the vehicle but no driver. Using closed-circuit television footage in the area, police traced Mr. A’s movements and found him inside a club close to the crash location. He was escorted for an alcohol test, which registered a blood alcohol concentration corresponding to the legal threshold for license cancellation. Mr. A has been booked on suspicion of drunk driving.
The central question for investigators is timing. Because the measurement occurred after the crash, authorities must determine whether Mr. A had already been drinking before he drove or consumed alcohol only after leaving the vehicle. Police are reviewing CCTV recordings, reconstructing his travel path, and verifying who he was with and where he was before and after the collision. Time-stamped footage, witness statements, and Mr. A’s movements are expected to form the core evidentiary record.
Gangnam, an affluent commercial district known for late-night venues, is densely covered by CCTV, a feature that routinely shapes urban policing in Seoul. The case highlights how post-crash alcohol testing can complicate impaired-driving investigations, even when a high reading is recorded later, and underscores the reliance on timeline reconstruction to meet legal standards of proof.
Tesla, a U.S.-based electric vehicle maker with a significant presence in South Korea, was identified only as the make of the car involved. Authorities have not indicated any vehicle-related issues, and the brand’s role is incidental to the investigation.
Police said they will consolidate the footage, itinerary, and statements to reach a conclusion on whether Mr. A was intoxicated while driving.
