"I Will Take All Sins and Wounds"
Trot singer Kim Ho-jung (33), who has been booked on hit-and-run charges, has for the first time expressed his position on the controversy, saying, "All the truth will be revealed."
On the afternoon of the 18th, at the nationwide tour 'Trotbaroti Classic Arena Tour 2024' held in Changwon, Gyeongnam, Kim said, "I will take all the sins and wounds."
Despite allegations of hit-and-run, drunk driving, and driver substitution, Kim went ahead with the concert. The venue was bustling with tour buses from various regions supporting him. Fans gathered wearing purple clothes, the color of Kim Ho-jung's fandom.
However, the atmosphere outside the venue was different. Criticism continued over his attempt to hold the concert while making false explanations amid numerous controversies. The concert refund fee, which reached 100,000 won, also sparked public outrage.
On the night of the 9th, around 11:40 p.m., Kim was involved in a collision with a taxi while changing lanes in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and fled the scene. Afterwards, he headed to a hotel in Guri, Gyeonggi-do, instead of going home, and purchased canned beer with his manager at a nearby convenience store. While Kim and the manager were at the convenience store, another manager, wearing Kim's clothes, went to the police station and falsely surrendered. This was an attempt to switch drivers.
At around 6 p.m. that day, Kim and five others split into three cars and went to a restaurant. They ordered five bottles of soju and three bottles of soft drinks, shared them, and left the restaurant about an hour and a half later. However, since they dined in a private room, Kim's drinking status has not yet been accurately determined. Afterwards, they stopped by a nightlife establishment in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, and around 10:50 p.m., called a designated driver and returned to Kim's residence in Gangnam-gu. This nightlife establishment is known as a 'ten-pro,' where female hostesses accompany customers at their tables.
Kim's side strongly denied drunk driving, saying, "We just stopped by to greet and only touched the glass," but the National Forensic Service stated, "Since about 20 hours passed from the accident to urine collection, alcohol metabolites (byproducts produced when the body processes alcohol) exceeding the standard for determining drinking were detected, indicating that drinking occurred before the accident."
As the hit-and-run suspicion expanded to include drunk driving and driver substitution allegations, Kim's side appointed lawyer Cho Nam-gwan, who served as acting Prosecutor General, as his defense attorney. After completing the concert on the 18th, Kim expressed his intention to proceed with the scheduled performances on the 19th, as well as the Seoul concert during the following week and the Gimcheon concert the weekend after.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
