Lee Min-ho Reveals Drunk Driving Accident That Paused His Career for a Year… All Passengers in the Other Vehicle Dead

Actor Lee Min-ho opened up about a past car accident that left him unable to work for a year.

Appearing on the December 25 episode of tvN’s You Quiz on the Block, Lee Min-ho recalled the 2006 accident. At the time, the 20-year-old Lee was traveling to Gangwon Province with his friend, actor Jung Il-woo, when their car collided with a drunk driver who had crossed the center line.

The accident left Lee with a fractured femur and torn cartilage, requiring seven months of recovery and a full year in the hospital. Jung Il-woo, meanwhile, was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.

Lee shared, "The accident made the local news in Gangwon Province. It was fatal. Everyone in the other vehicle passed away. I spent nearly a year in the hospital, unable to do anything but lie down."

Reflecting on the emotional toll, Lee said, "I had just become an adult, full of dreams and ambitions. Everything came to an abrupt halt, and I couldn’t do anything. I went through denial, anger, depression, and eventually acceptance."

While Lee remained in treatment, Jung Il-woo recovered and rose to fame with the sitcom High Kick. Lee admitted to feeling conflicted at the time: "Seeing him succeed stirred mixed emotions in me. I didn’t like feeling that way. I wanted to clap and cheer for him wholeheartedly, but I also felt impatient and left behind."

Lee eventually achieved his breakthrough playing Goo Jun-pyo in the hit drama Boys Over Flowers, earning widespread acclaim. He humorously recalled his efforts to embody a chaebol character: "I wondered how to appear like a rich heir. When eating meat with friends, I’d say things like, ‘Grill the meat for me,’ or, ‘Why aren’t you opening the taxi door?’"

Lee also shared a memory of his early fame, saying, "My Minihompy page had thousands of visitors." Host Yoo Jae-suk commented, "With that level of popularity, there’s no way the industry wouldn’t take notice."

Lee revealed he had been scouted by SM Entertainment three times during middle school. Yoo Jae-suk responded, "You definitely had the SM look; it gives me chills."

Lee Min-ho will return to screens on January 4 alongside actress Gong Hyo-jin in tvN’s upcoming drama 'When The Stars Gossip'. The series follows the lives of astronauts commuting to and from a space station 200,000 km away.