"My Role Is Over"... Kim Ho-jung's 'Hogwajeonggwan' Lawyer Suddenly Resigns Ahead of Trial

'Drunk Driving Hit-and-Run' Kim Ho-jung, First Trial on the 10th

Trot singer Kim Ho-jung, accused of 'hit-and-run under the influence,' with his attorney Nam-gwan Jo (left) and singer Kim Ho-jung (right) [Image source=Yonhap News]

Trot singer Kim Ho-jung is facing his first trial on charges of drunk hit-and-run, while Jo Nam-gwan, a lawyer and former acting Prosecutor General who was defending him, resigned a week before the trial.

On the 3rd, Jo submitted his resignation to the Seoul Central District Court, which is handling Kim's case. Kim was indicted and detained on charges including reckless driving causing injury and hit-and-run under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, failure to take measures after an accident under the Road Traffic Act, and aiding the escape of a criminal. Jo explained his reason for resigning, saying, "I originally contracted to defend the client only through the prosecution investigation stage. Since the indictment has been made and a new lawyer has been additionally appointed, my role is over, so it is appropriate to resign."

Jo passed the 34th Judicial Examination and served as a prosecutor for 27 years. During former President Roh Moo-hyun's administration, he worked as an administrative officer in the Blue House's Office of Inspection, and after the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in government, he was dispatched as the head of the National Intelligence Service's Inspection Office. In particular, in 2020, when then-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl was suspended from duty, he acted as the authority's deputy.

He retired from public office in April 2022 after serving as the head of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and began working as a lawyer from May of the same year. Earlier, Jo attracted attention as a 'luxury former high-ranking prosecutor' during the process of being appointed as Kim's defense attorney shortly after the incident.

Meanwhile, Kim is accused of driving under the influence and hitting a taxi coming from the opposite direction in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul, around 11:40 p.m. on May 9, then fleeing the scene. Kim appeared before the police 17 hours after the accident and tested negative in the breathalyzer test (blood alcohol concentration below 0.03%). Initially, Kim denied drunk driving but confessed to it on May 19, ten days after the incident.

On the 18th of last month, Kim was indicted and detained on charges including reckless driving causing injury and hit-and-run under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, failure to take measures after an accident under the Road Traffic Act, and aiding the escape of a criminal. The police used the Widmark formula to estimate Kim's blood alcohol concentration at the time of driving but could not determine the exact level, so the drunk driving charge was excluded.

On the 26th of last month, Kim appointed new legal representatives, including lawyers from the law firm Hyunjae. Kim's first trial is scheduled to be held on the 10th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 26 Solo (Judge Choi Min-hye).