Performances Scheduled as Planned on the 23rd and 24th
Amid allegations against trot singer Kim Ho-joong, who is under police investigation for hit-and-run, including ‘driver swapping’ and ‘hiding the black box memory card,’ it has been reported that his scheduled performances will proceed as planned, sparking controversy.
On the 15th, Kim Ho-joong’s agency, Saenggak Entertainment, issued a statement on Kim’s fan cafe ‘Tbaroti,’ saying, “The scheduled Tbaroti Classic Arena Tour 2024 in Changwon/Gimcheon and the World Union Orchestra Super Classic will proceed without any changes to the schedule.”
“We deeply apologize to Aris (Kim Ho-joong’s fan club) who were greatly shocked by today’s sudden news,” the statement said. “As officially stated, a traffic accident involving a taxi occurred on the evening of the 9th, and we sincerely regret the inadequate handling afterward and take full responsibility.” It added, “Our company will do its best to protect the artist and promises to defend the artist under any circumstances.”
Kim Ho-joong is scheduled to perform on the 23rd and 24th at the special stage of the Olympic Gymnastics Arena KSPO Dome in the ‘World Union Orchestra Super Classic: Kim Ho-joong & Primadonna’ concert. The World Union Orchestra is a combined orchestra consisting of members from the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO). Following the announcement of collaboration with these world-class orchestras, all 20,000 tickets sold out after opening on the 3rd.
Ahead of this major performance, Kim Ho-joong was involved in a collision with an oncoming taxi while changing lanes around 11:40 p.m. on the 9th in Sinsa-dong, Seoul, and fled the scene. Subsequently, a representative from the agency turned himself in on Kim’s behalf, and Kim later admitted to having been the driver. It was reported that Kim initially denied driving during police questioning and went home but later admitted the truth under police pressure.
While acknowledging the accident, Kim’s side officially denied allegations of drunk driving, stating, “The alcohol test conducted at the police station showed no alcohol in his system.” However, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul revealed that the alcohol test was conducted around 4:30 p.m. on the 10th, the day after the accident. This has led to criticism that it is difficult to determine whether he was intoxicated since the test was taken 16 hours after the incident.
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