Comedian Kim Dae-beom denies being suspect in designated-driver assault case

Comedian Kim Dae-beom, 47, has denied being the entertainer booked on charges of assaulting a designated driver.

Kim took to social media Monday to address the speculation, saying he had noticed comments on news articles naming him as the suspect. "I am not the person," he said, adding that he is currently outside South Korea and has "absolutely no connection" to the incident. He doubled down on the denial, urging the public not to link him to the case.

Kim also expressed sympathy over the incident. "Something that should never have happened has happened, and as a fellow comedian I find it deeply regrettable," he said. "I sincerely hope nothing like this ever occurs again."

Earlier Monday, the Seoul Seocho Police Station said it had booked a comedian surnamed Kim — a KBS open-recruitment hire — on charges of assaulting a driver under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, which covers attacks on drivers of moving vehicles.

The suspect is accused of grabbing and shaking the neck of designated driver A while intoxicated at around 1 a.m. Sunday.

The designated driver had picked up the suspect in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and was en route to the suspect's home at the time. Officers who responded to a report arrested the suspect at the scene and are investigating the full circumstances of the incident.

A similar wave of unfounded speculation had targeted multiple comedians earlier this month, after a man who claimed to be an "SBS open-recruitment comedian" caused a disturbance at a bar on Sept. 2.

The Korea Broadcast Comedians Association later confirmed the man did not appear on any broadcaster's list of open or special-recruitment comedians, calling it a case of impersonation. He was identified as an aspiring comedian who had previously performed in the Daehangno theater district and similar venues.