Submitted Letters of Apology in the First Trial but Still Received a Prison Sentence
Second Appeal Hearing Scheduled for the 19th
Singer Kim Ho-jung (34), who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial for a hit-and-run accident, reportedly submitted 100 letters of apology to the court, Star News reported on the 8th.
Singer Kim Ho-jung, who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial for a hit-and-run incident.
According to the report, Kim Ho-jung submitted 100 pages of apology letters to the court after the appeal trial began last month. His fans have also been continuously sending petitions.
However, it is uncertain whether the apology letters will affect the sentence. Kim Ho-jung submitted three apology letters while detained during the first trial and repeatedly apologized to the victim during his final defense, pleading for leniency, but the court sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months in prison. He submitted his first apology letter on September 5 last year, followed by the second and third on October 16 and 28, respectively. Despite these efforts, he could not avoid the prison sentence.
On May 9 last year, Kim Ho-jung, while driving under the influence on a road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, collided with a taxi coming from the opposite direction and fled the scene. Immediately after the accident, he denied drunk driving by having his manager turn himself in on his behalf, but evidence such as CCTV footage surfaced, and he admitted to the crime ten days later. A representative from his agency also attempted to destroy evidence by removing the black box storage device from the accident vehicle but later admitted the wrongdoing.
On November 1 last year, the first trial court sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months in prison, stating, "Despite causing personal and property damage by colliding with the victim's taxi while driving under the influence, he irresponsibly fled the scene and instructed his manager to falsely confess, making the nature of the crime severe." Both Kim Ho-jung and the prosecution appealed, and at the first appeal hearing held on the 12th of last month, the controversy over 'drinking more alcohol' emerged as a new issue. The question was whether Kim Ho-jung deliberately drank more alcohol after the accident to avoid a breathalyzer test. The second appeal hearing is scheduled for the 19th of this month.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
