SBS Medianet in Charge of Direction: "Decided Not to Direct Gyeongbuk Performance in June"
SBS Medianet, which was in charge of directing trot singer Kim Ho-joong's (33) concert in Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk, has declared it will not participate following his hit-and-run charges.
On the 19th, SBS Medianet officially announced, "Kim Ho-joong will not direct the 'Trotbaroti Classic Arena Tour' held at the Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium in Gyeongbuk on June 1-2."
Despite the hit-and-run allegations, as well as suspicions of drunk driving and driver substitution, Kim's side completed the June 18 performance of the 'Trotbaroti Classic Arena Tour 2024' and is pushing forward with the June 19 performance as well.
SBS Medianet had been directing the 'Trotbaroti Classic Arena Tour 2024.' Having managed concerts in Gimcheon, Goyang, Ulsan, Taebaek, and Gwangju since last month, SBS Medianet had planned to discuss the Gimcheon concert with Kim Ho-joong's agency after the Changwon concert on the 19th. However, after observing the situation, they apparently judged that continuing to direct the concert would be untenable.
However, it remains uncertain whether the concert itself will be canceled. Kim Ho-joong's agency, the organizer, stated, "We will do our best to protect the artist and promise to safeguard the artist under any circumstances," expressing their intention to proceed with the scheduled performances as planned.
The upcoming 'World Union Orchestra Superclassic: Kim Ho-joong & Prima Donna,' scheduled for June 23-24 at the Seoul Olympic Park KSPO Dome, is also problematic. KBS, the organizer of the 'World Union Orchestra Superclassic,' has requested the main organizer to replace the performer. If the replacement does not occur, the organizer has demanded that the KBS logo be removed.
On the night of the 9th, around 11:40 p.m., Kim was involved in a collision with an oncoming taxi while changing lanes in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and fled the scene. Afterwards, he headed to a hotel in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, instead of going home, and purchased canned beer with his manager at a nearby convenience store. While Kim Ho-joong and his manager were at the convenience store, another manager, wearing Kim's clothes, went to the police station and falsely surrendered, attempting to substitute as the driver.
Although there were signs of drunk driving, such as ordering alcohol at a visited restaurant and using a designated driver when returning home, Kim has vehemently denied the allegations. The police requested Kim's appearance multiple times, but he only appeared at the police station around 4:30 p.m. on the 10th, 16 hours after the accident occurred, so meaningful results to confirm intoxication were not obtained. Nevertheless, the National Forensic Service concluded, "Considering that about 20 hours passed from the accident to urine collection, alcohol metabolites (byproducts produced during the body's processing of alcohol) exceeding the standard for determining intoxication were detected, indicating that drinking occurred before the accident."
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