Final Decision to Withdraw Appeal by Personal Choice
Singer Kim Hojung (33) gave up his appeal, finalizing his sentence of 2 years and 6 months in prison.
On the 15th, Kim Hojung's fan club announced, "After a long period of deep contemplation, Kim Hojung has made the final decision today to forgo his appeal." The fan club further explained, "During this time, Kim Hojung has conducted in-depth reviews multiple times with legal experts, considering every possible direction and option. In the end, this was a decision he reached after much personal deliberation." Although a notice of appeal was submitted to the Supreme Court on the 13th, he communicated his intention not to appeal to his fandom and those around him.
Singer Kim Hojung gave up his appeal on the 15th, and his 2 years and 6 months prison sentence was finalized. Photo by Jo Yongjun
On April 24, Kim Hojung was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison, the same as the original verdict, in his appeal trial for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (causing injury by dangerous driving). Lee Gwangdeuk, CEO of Think Entertainment, and Jeonmo, head of headquarters, who were involved in covering up Kim Hojung's drunk driving accident, had their sentences of 2 years and 1 year and 6 months in prison, respectively, upheld. Manager Jangmosi, who falsely confessed to driving instead of Kim Hojung, also had his sentence of 1 year in prison with 2 years of probation upheld.
The court pointed out, "Kim Hojung caused an accident while driving under the influence and fled the scene. He then systematically destroyed evidence, which makes the nature of the crime particularly egregious." The court further explained, "Considering the statements of those involved and the forensic report from the National Forensic Service, it appears the accident was not simply due to a mishandling of a mobile phone, but rather resulted from impaired judgment caused by intoxication."
After the verdict, Jeon, the former head of headquarters, and Lee, the CEO, each submitted statements of withdrawal of appeal on April 28 and 29, respectively. On May 1, a notice of appeal was filed excluding them, but Kim Hojung ultimately decided not to proceed with an appeal. On the 14th, one day after the case was filed with the Supreme Court, a public defender was automatically appointed for Kim Hojung; however, this was merely a procedural measure to guarantee the defendant's rights under the Criminal Procedure Act, and it was confirmed that there was no discussion regarding Kim Hojung or the case. Regarding this, Kim Hojung's fan club also stated, "The appearance of the public defender's name in the case search system is merely an automatic administrative entry, and there has been no substantive legal response through the public defender."
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