Singer Kim Ho-jung (33), who has been issued an arrest warrant on charges of drunk driving and hit-and-run, is facing allegations of being a former school violence perpetrator. Meanwhile, some of his fervent fans are reportedly engaging in 'secondary victimization' by blaming the victim.
YouTuber 'Caracula' revealed on the 23rd in his YouTube community, "People presumed to be members of singer Kim Ho-jung's fan club flooded the comment section of the video uploaded yesterday," sharing some of the comments posted on the video exposing Kim Ho-jung's school violence.
According to these comments, they said things like, "The one who got hit talks too much. Take a look at yourself at least once," "Is that even school violence?" "If you're so confident, show your face," "Why stay silent and come out at this timing? Are you trying to kill another person?" "Fake victim," "Clear lies," and so on.
Caracula criticized, "They are committing secondary harm to the school violence victim with excessive and misguided fandom," and wrote, "Come on, I will show you what Caracula is all about."
Comments on the video exposing Kim Ho-joong's school violence posted by YouTube channel Karakula [Photo by Karakula YouTube]
Earlier, on the 22nd, Caracula released a video titled "Kim Ho-jung, who has not apologized to the victim and has not reformed," featuring an interview with a victim who claimed to have suffered school violence from Kim Ho-jung in the past. In the video, a person identified as A, who said he was a junior by one year at Gyeongbuk Arts High School, stated, "Kim Ho-jung boasted about being a gangster," and "Among my friends, there was no one who wasn't hit by Kim Ho-jung. We were often sent to run cigarette errands."
In the video, Caracula criticized, "I don't understand how a person can be considered reformed and repentant when someone sheds tears of blood and suffers damage due to that person's actions, yet there is no forgiveness or leniency from the perpetrator," adding, "(Kim Ho-jung) might have been a well-packaged monster created by movies, broadcasts, and an excessive fandom."
Even while Kim Ho-jung was under police investigation for the 'drunk hit-and-run' charge, some of his hardcore fans voiced support for him. When Gimcheon City considered dismantling the 'Kim Ho-jung Sound Road,' some fans reportedly protested, saying, "If you dismantle it, we won't stand for it," and "He hasn't even been indicted or convicted, so why dismantle it?" Also, after Kim Ho-jung admitted to drinking, when tickets for his scheduled performances were being canceled en masse, some people bought those tickets.
The official fan cafe, which had been unwavering in its support for Kim Ho-jung, was switched to private on the 22nd. It appears the fan cafe took this step in response to the growing public criticism of Kim Ho-jung.
Meanwhile, Kim Ho-jung has decided not to attend the concert scheduled for the 24th, when the pre-arrest warrant suspect interrogation (warrant substantive examination) is to be held. Kim Ho-jung was originally scheduled to perform on both days, the 23rd and 24th, at the 'World Union Orchestra Super Classic: Kim Ho-jung & Primadonna' concert. However, since the court did not accept the request to postpone the warrant substantive examination, it seems he decided not to participate in the second day's performance. Nevertheless, he will proceed with the performance on the 23rd.
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