"Not a Donation but Trash Dumping" 10 Billion Won Donation by Kim Ho-joong Fan Club, 7.5 Billion Won Donated as Albums

Donation of 530,000 Copies Calculated at 14,190 Won per Copy
Kim Ho-jung Fan Club Does Not Disclose Exact Donation Recipient

A fervent fan of singer Kim Ho-joong, who was arrested on charges including drunk driving and hit-and-run, wrote an online petition asking for leniency by claiming that "he has donated 10 billion won over the past four years." However, controversy is spreading as it has been claimed that 7.5 billion won, which accounts for three-quarters of the stated amount, was in the form of 'sending Kim Ho-joong albums.' On the 4th, Kukmin Ilbo reported that Kim Ho-joong's official fandom 'Aris' donated a total of 9,712,600,000 won over about four years from April 2020 to December 2023.

Singer Kim Ho-jung, who is accused of drunk hit-and-run, appeared at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 24th of last month for a warrant hearing (pre-arrest suspect interrogation).
[Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@]

Among this, 7.5 billion won worth consisted of 528,430 copies of Kim Ho-joong's second full-length album 'Panorama.' It is estimated by calculating approximately 14,190 won per album. These albums were donated to a total of 685 places. Aris did not disclose the exact donation destinations. The amount donated in cash by Kim Ho-joong's fandom was not very large compared to the claim of "donating 10 billion won." Cash donations included UNICEF funds for Turkey earthquake recovery support (225 million won) and Hope Bridge funds for flood victims (351 million won), among others.

From the perspective of recipient organizations, album donations are naturally not preferred. Since they are useless unless the recipient is a fan of the singer, they generally cannot be used to support marginalized groups. Netizens responded to the claim with comments such as "Isn't this just fans buying leftover albums to push them out rather than a donation?", "It's trash disposal disguised as a donation," and "Did they brag about donating 10 billion won by sending something the other party did not want?"

"His genius talent is too precious; he needs to be embraced and supported at least once"

Earlier, a post appeared on the KBS viewer petition website stating, "Kim Ho-joong's fans have donated nearly 10 billion won over the past four years, so please show leniency." The author, Mr. A, argued, "Kim Ho-joong's genius talent should be valued," adding, "While the law requires a cold judgment, society needs the tolerance to embrace and support him at least once."

Earlier, a post appeared on the KBS Viewer Petition website stating, "Kim Ho-jung's fans have donated nearly 10 billion won over the past four years, so please show leniency." The author of the post, Mr. A, argued, "Kim Ho-jung's genius talent should be valued," adding, "While the law requires a cold judgment, society needs the tolerance to embrace and support Kim Ho-jung at least once."
[Photo by KBS Viewer Petition]

Mr. A said, "Kim Ho-joong grew up in an unstable family environment and did not receive proper education. Even as an adult, there was no true adult around him to guide him on the right path," and added, "Although his crimes are detestable, it is very unfortunate that there was not a single sincere person by his side to help him judge right from wrong." He further stated, "The reason Kim Ho-joong's fans were able to donate about 10 billion won to those in need is thanks to the positive influence of the name Kim Ho-joong," and "His charitable contributions to society as an artist so far should be taken into consideration." As of 9 a.m. on the 4th, more than 1,500 people had agreed to the petition. On the other hand, a petition calling for Kim Ho-joong's expulsion had also received 2,500 supporters. KBS is required to respond to petitions that receive more than 1,000 agreements within 30 days.

On the night of the 9th of last month, around 11:40 p.m., Kim Ho-joong was driving a Bentley on a road in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, when he crossed the center line and collided with a taxi that was stopped, then fled the scene. At the time of the accident, Kim Ho-joong's manager swapped clothes with him and falsely confessed to the police, saying, "I was the one driving." Additionally, agency officials removed the black box memory card from the accident vehicle.

Initially, Kim Ho-joong claimed he was not driving under the influence, but as the investigation tightened, he confessed to drunk driving on the 19th of last month. The police viewed that agency officials attempted to cover up the incident systematically and applied for arrest warrants for three people, including Kim Ho-joong. Kim Ho-joong was detained on the 24th of last month. Shin Young-hee, the chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, issued the arrest warrants for Kim Ho-joong and his agency officials, citing concerns over evidence destruction.