"Lost" Star Pleads No Contest To Drunk Driving

HONOLULU — "Lost" star Daniel Dae Kim pleaded no contest to drunken driving charges and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. Whether his character on the popular castaway drama absorbs more punishment remains to be seen.

Kim, 40, who plays Jin-Soo Kwon, was arrested Oct. 25 when a police officer spotted him driving erratically in Honolulu. His blood alcohol content was 0.168, more than double the state's legal limit.

District Judge William Cardwell scolded Kim, who wore a dark, gray suit and blue shirt in court Thursday.

"You need to understand that 0.168 is more that double the legal limit. It means you were seriously impaired," Cardwell said. "And it just cannot happen again. It's simply too dangerous."

"Believe me, sir, I do," Kim replied.

Kim also had his driver's license revoked for six months and was subjected to a drug-and-alcohol assessment. He was also ordered to pay $212 in court fees and perform 72 hours of community service

"I'm just grateful and relieved that this matter has been resolved," he said after the hearing. "It's been a pretty difficult time for my family and me. But I'm glad I had a chance to take responsibility for my mistake."

Kim was the third "Lost" actor to have been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Hawaii; the other two had their characters killed off on the show soon afterward. The roles of Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros were eliminated in 2005 after they pleaded guilty to drunken driving.

Comments

[JaundicedEye]

Going by past events, I would guess this means Jin is as dead as a doornail. Unless the "drive drunk and you'll be killed off" rule only applies to female actors on "Lost".

[FCBarca]

Does boggle the mind how these Losties keep getting DUIs...Do they wrap a day's filming with drinks galore?

[jgalvan]

This guy looks like Shannen Doherty illegitimate brother.

[Tommygun264]

After what happened to the first two "LOST" stars to get nailed for DUI - their characters only appeared again long enough to get brutally murdered within a few minutes - you would think that Mr. Kim and the rest of the cast would be extra careful when it comes to drinking and driving. Then again, the last we saw of him on the most recent season was on the deck of a boat that was vaporized in a fiery explosion a couple of miles offshore, so unless he comes back as a ghost or in flashback scenes, I'm afraid we have probably seen the last of Jin. I hope this will not otherwise adversely effect his acting career in general - he's a good actor and I'm not just taling about his work on "LOST".

[citizenofmars]

Lookit that face! I think I"LL be a star TOO! Shhhhhheeeez, ANYONE can be one I guess...

[Opus007]

I just don't get why these actors don't get a driver when they want to party. It's not like they can't afford it. The way things are going with the "Lost" cast- the producers might consider putting a driver on retainer.

[spaektor]

they should have arrested him for being in public with that haircut... what is it about life on that island? Cynthia, Michelle, and now my Korean brutha... don't worry Daniel, your career isn't over. i saw Michelle Rodriguez on Margaret Cho's show as a celebrity judge, AND she found the time to do Fast and Furious 4!!

[Mattie]

they sure do like to party on the set of lost! I hope he doesn't meet the same fate as the other drunken actors.

[Imzadi]

His character is already gone. The boat blew up.

[Imzadi]

Kim was the third "Lost" actor to have been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Hawaii; the other two had their characters killed off on the show soon afterward. The roles of Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros were eliminated in 2005 after they pleaded guilty to drunken driving.

Well, Jin already died in the season finale...

[SimplyBkuz]

I really think drunk drivers should suffer a much more harsh punishment.. that being said.. I don't understand why this is a news story.

[katie53]

Okay, well not the only one. One wonders what's going happening on the Lost set to cause the drinking and driving. Maybe just hired dumb actors. Okay, having reread this, you're right the article AND my comment are pretty lame.

[jukesgrrl]

Maybe they get a group discount on fines.

[Imzadi]

ouch!

[jgalvan]

Let me start by saying I have seen a lot of stuff that should not warrant placement on HuffPost but this is the worst. I maybe the only one that post here.