A commotion occurred in front of the court as fans protested to court officials during the first hearing of singer Kim Ho-joong (34), who was sentenced to prison in the first trial for charges of drunk driving and hit-and-run.
On the morning of the 12th at 10:30 AM, the first hearing of Kim Ho-joong's appeal was held at the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 5-3 (Presiding Judge Kim Ji-sun, So Byeong-jin, Kim Yong-jung) for charges of causing injury while driving dangerously under the Specific Crimes Aggravated Punishment Act, hit-and-run, and failure to take measures after an accident under the Road Traffic Act. The representative and head of Kim Ho-joong's agency, as well as his manager, were also on trial for charges of aiding a criminal and destroying evidence.
On this day, dozens of fans lined up in front of the court, just like during previous hearings. Interest in the first appeal hearing was heightened as Kim Ho-joong had been sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial last November.
However, there were questions about order. In a situation where only 17 people, excluding family and reporters, could enter the courtroom, a fan who had been waiting in line allowed a friend to cut in, leading to complaints from some about this behavior.
There was also a commotion. While the court had distributed observation rights to reporters in advance, fans protested to a YouTuber entering the courtroom with an observation right, claiming he was “impersonating a reporter.” A court official firmly told fans demanding identity checks, “There is no reason to explain this situation.”
Kim Ho-joong was indicted for drunk driving and hit-and-run after causing an accident at 11:44 PM on May 9 last year on Apgujeong Road in Gangnam, Seoul. After the incident, his manager, Mr. Jang, turned himself in on his behalf, and there were allegations of organized crime concealment, including the agency's head swallowing the vehicle's black box memory.
Seventeen hours after the accident, Kim Ho-joong appeared at the police station, using a method known as “drinking to avoid punishment” to evade drunk driving charges. The prosecution stated that Kim Ho-joong was in a state where normal driving was difficult due to intoxication, but could not charge him with drunk driving because they could not clearly specify his blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident.
The first trial court sentenced Kim Ho-joong to 2 years and 6 months in prison during the sentencing hearing on November 13 last year.
At that time, the court stated, “(After the drunk driving accident, Kim Ho-joong fled to a motel and bought beer before checking in, raising doubts about whether he felt any guilt for his wrongdoing as an adult),” but also noted that they considered his late acknowledgment of the crime and the fact that he reached an agreement with the victim when determining the sentence.
Immediately after the first trial verdict, Kim Ho-joong appealed, and the prosecution also submitted an appeal. The prosecution had previously sought a sentence of 3 years and 6 months for Kim Ho-joong during the sentencing hearing held in September last year. Ahead of the appeal hearing, Kim Ho-joong submitted a total of 60 letters of reflection on the 7th and 10th.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
