Trot Singer Kim Ho-joong to be Sent to Prosecutors Tomorrow for Drunk Hit-and-Run Charges, Appears to Have Given Up
Trot singer Kim Ho-joong (33) will be sent to the prosecutors’ office at 8 a.m. tomorrow (31st) on charges of drunk driving and hit-and-run. Kim is currently detained at the Gangnam Police Station detention center and will be transferred to the Seoul Detention Center after the prosecution.
Agency CEO and Director Also to be Sent
On the 30th, the Gangnam Police Station announced that Kim Ho-joong had been arrested for violating the Road Traffic Act (failing to take measures after an accident), the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (hit-and-run with injury and dangerous driving), and aiding and abetting a criminal. Along with Kim, the CEO of his agency, Saenggak Entertainment, Lee Gwang-deuk, and director Jeon Mo will also be sent to the prosecutors. CEO Lee is charged with instructing a false confession, and Director Jeon is charged with evidence destruction.
Details of the Incident
Kim Ho-joong is accused of crossing the center line while intoxicated and hitting a taxi waiting for a signal on the opposite lane at around 11:40 p.m. on the 9th in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, before fleeing the scene. Immediately after the incident, his manager confessed to the police wearing Kim’s clothes, but when it was confirmed that the vehicle belonged to Kim, the credibility of the confession was questioned. Kim appeared at the police station 17 hours later and initially denied being drunk but eventually admitted to it, leading to his arrest on the 24th.
Kim Ho-joong Appears to Have Given Up
Currently, Kim is detained in a single cell at the Gangnam Police Station detention center and is spending most of his time sleeping. It is reported that he sleeps most of the time except during investigations with his lawyer. Kim is receiving the standard three meals a day provided by the detention center cafeteria.
Expert Opinion on Kim Ho-joong’s Psychological State
Kim Eun-bae, a former head of the International Crime Investigation Team at the National Police Agency, commented, “It seems that Kim Ho-joong is spending most of his time sleeping in the detention center out of a sense of despair. He appears to be waiting for his lawyer to handle the situation once he is sent to the prosecutors.”
