Kim Ho-jung Arrested for Drunk Hit-and-Run
Kim's Fan Club Continues to Defend Him Daily
Spillover to Lim Young-woong... "Pay the Penalty Instead"
Kim Ho-jung has been arrested on charges of drunk driving and hit-and-run, while his fan club has been continuously making supportive statements, sparking controversy.
(From left) Singers Kim Ho-joong and Lim Young-woong. [Photo by Jo Yong-jun, Asia Economy, Mulgochi Music]
On the 30th, a person presumed to be a fan of Kim, identified as A, received backlash for a comment left on a concert video of singer Lim Young-woong. A criticized Lim, saying, "Young-woong, no matter how much you want to make money and perform, do you really have to hold a concert right now?"
Earlier, on the 25th, Lim held the 'IM HERO - THE STADIUM' concert at the World Cup Stadium in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Regarding the connection between Lim and Kim through 'trot' music, A expressed dissatisfaction with holding a concert while Kim was under arrest. A stated, "Lim Young-woong should reflect on how his friend feels and reconsider (holding the concert)." He added, "If you have a conscience, you should use part of the money earned from this concert to help get Kim Ho-jung released from custody and contribute to the penalty fees."
Furthermore, A said, "Ho-jung, your peer, is currently detained, so how can you, Young-woong, be enjoying yourself?" expressing sympathy by saying, "Poor Ho-jung. He was buried alive over one mistake." He continued, "Young-woong, even though Ho-jung was arrested, did you really have to hold the concert at this time?" and criticized Lim by saying, "You are colleagues and should have helped him."
Netizens who saw the comment responded negatively, saying things like, "What connection do Lim Young-woong and Kim Ho-jung even have?", "That's brainwashing at that level," "How can a hit-and-run be just one mistake?", "Fans are scary," "Why drag Lim Young-woong into this?", and "Why are Lim Young-woong, who helps fans to their seats, and hit-and-run suspect Kim Ho-jung being put on the same level?"
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Kim’s fans have made excessive supportive statements. Recently, Kim’s fans issued a statement saying, "Those sentenced to '2 years imprisonment' in the appeal trial, candidates who shout about prosecutorial dictatorship after running for the National Assembly, candidates who reversed their 'waiver of immunity' declaration and pleaded with the party to reject it, and suspects who have not been summoned even once by the prosecution in four years ? all of these reveal the shameful true face of South Korea." They criticized the powerful for applying a double standard. The statement was interpreted as targeting Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Cho Kuk, leader of the Innovation Party, and Kim Geon-hee, the wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
On the 16th, posts defending Kim’s crime were repeatedly uploaded on Kim’s fan cafe, causing controversy. B, a fan of Kim, expressed concern, saying, "How exhausted must he have been to do that? I understand (the hit-and-run). It makes me want to cry." The post received supportive comments from other fans, such as "I don’t want to hear the noise on every broadcast. Star (Kim Ho-jung), don’t break down and stay strong," "I support the singer. I am praying," and "People can make mistakes in life."
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