Trot singer Kim Ho-jung has been sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for his involvement in a 'hit-and-run' case. On the 19th, Kim's legal team submitted a letter of withdrawal from the Supreme Court, confirming the sentence issued in the second trial.
Kim was arrested and indicted for fleeing the scene after causing an accident on May 9 last year while driving under the influence of alcohol, crossing the centerline and crashing into a taxi on the opposite side of the road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
At that time, instead of Kim, his manager falsely turned himself in, raising suspicions that he had 'swapped drivers.' Initially denying the drunk driving incident, Kim admitted to the crime ten days later. However, the prosecution excluded the drunk driving charge at the indictment stage, citing the difficulty of confirming the blood alcohol level.
In the first trial, held in November last year, Kim was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison. The first trial court stated, "Despite causing personal and material damage by hitting the victim's taxi while driving under the influence, he irresponsibly fled the scene." Furthermore, it noted, "By conspiring with another defendant to have his manager falsely turn himself in to investigative authorities, it created confusion in the initial investigation and significantly wasted police investigative resources."
Both Kim's side and the prosecution appealed the first trial's decision. However, the second trial court also sentenced Kim to 2 years and 6 months in prison. Kim decided to appeal, hoping for a Supreme Court judgment, but withdrew that appeal on the same day, finalizing the sentence. Kim's team wrote on the fan cafe on the 15th, "After a long time of deep contemplation, Kim Ho-jung made the final decision to give up the appeal today."