"Luxury from Head to Toe"‥Kim Ho-jung Sparks Debate Over Attendance Outfit

Trot singer Kim Ho-joong, who is accused of drunk driving and hit-and-run, attracted netizens' attention with the clothes and hat he wore when he appeared at the police station.

Trot singer Kim Ho-jung, who is accused of 'hit-and-run under the influence,' is leaving after completing an investigation at Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on the afternoon of the 21st.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Kim appeared at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul around 2 p.m. on the 21st and underwent police questioning. Upon arrival, he evaded the press waiting at the photo line and entered the building through the underground parking lot. Even after about three hours of questioning, he reportedly refused to leave, saying, "I will leave once the press withdraws."

After holding out for about six hours, Kim finally left the Gangnam Police Station at 10:41 p.m. and faced the cameras. Kim Ho-joong was dressed entirely in dark-colored clothing, from his hat to his clothes and glasses, with his left hand in his pocket.

He said, "What words does a sinner need?" and added, "I was questioned well, and if there are remaining investigations, I will sincerely cooperate. I am sorry," before getting into a vehicle.

Subsequently, the so-called "Kim Ho-joong appearance fashion" became a hot topic online. On online communities, posts asking "Where is Kim Ho-joong's jacket from?" appeared, and the jacket he wore ranked high in search popularity on overseas direct purchase sites.

The jacket Kim wore that day is the Bharani aviation jacket from the famous luxury brand Moncler. It is a 2023 Spring/Summer (SS) collection item, with an official website price of $970 (approximately 1.32 million KRW). It is known to be sold on overseas direct purchase and proxy purchase sites for around 1.2 to 1.5 million KRW.

The hat is from the domestic clothing company Vince Moke, priced at 79,000 KRW. This brand is known to be popular among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), who frequently wear hats.

Additionally, the shoes are the luxury brand Louis Vuitton’s ‘LV Trainer Sneakers,’ sold on the official website for 1.77 million KRW.

Netizens who saw this reacted critically, saying things like "He should exercise restraint" and "This fashion is far from showing remorse." Some, however, responded with "Clothes are not guilty" and "What someone wears doesn’t matter."

Kim Ho-joong is accused of causing an accident by colliding with a taxi on the opposite side of the road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, around 11:40 p.m. on the 9th, and fleeing the scene (charges include hit-and-run causing injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and failure to take measures after an accident). On the 22nd, the police applied for an arrest warrant for Kim on charges of drunk hit-and-run.