South Korean rap sensation NO:EL has been arrested and booked for allegedly assaulting a police officer. Times of India reports that various Korean media outlets, as well as local police authorities, have accused NO:EL of driving without a license.
The officer also demanded a breathalyzer test from NO:EL, but NO:EL refused to comply. They also allege he is guilty of “obstruction of the execution of official duties under the Road Traffic Act.”
The rapper was reportedly in a car accident at 10:30 PM on Sept. 18. Fortunately, there have been no injuries or fatalities. The rapper was taken into police custody after becoming combative with officers over a breathalyzer and refusing to show his ID. NO:EL allegedly got into a fight with the police, allegedly striking a officer on the head. After an investigation, NO.EL was released.
This isn’t the first time NO:EL has been in trouble with the law. After he assaulted people in Busan (Korea), in February 2021, NO.EL was involved in a legal battle. He was accused of drunk driving and altering drivers in the wake of a car accident in Mapo-gu. NO:EL was sentenced, together with two years probation, to one-and-a-half years in prison.
He posted a Sept. 19 Instagram message to his followers, in which he addressed his arrest. “I have no words to say,” He wrote.
“I will unreservedly take all the punishment that I deserve. I will work harder to become a more mature member of society. Starting with my fans, I am sorry to all the people who have been hurt because of me,” Soompi reports.
NO:EL released his first album, Elleonoel, in Sept. 2017. His follow-up album was released in April 2021. In his own culture, the rapper is considered royalty. He is also Chang Jewon’s child, a Member of the National Assembly representing the United Future Party.