|
[Sports Chosun – By Yuna Lee] Trot singer Kim Ho-jung, who is under police investigation for causing a traffic accident and fleeing the scene, is attracting attention as suspicious circumstances continue to be revealed one after another.
It was reported that Kim Ho-jung’s manager wore the clothes that Kim Ho-jung was wearing at the time of the incident and turned himself in wearing them, the black box in Kim Ho-jung’s car disappeared, and Kim Ho-jung attended the police station 17 hours after the accident to undergo alcohol testing.
On the 14th, SBS News at 8 p.m. reported, “Kim Ho-jung’s manager, Mr. A, confessed to the police that he caused the accident while driving, and it was confirmed that Kim Ho-jung went out wearing the clothes he was wearing at the time of the accident.”
Initially, Kim Ho-jung’s manager falsely confessed to causing the accident but later admitted that Kim Ho-jung was the one driving 17 hours after the accident. Additionally, it is raising suspicions that the black box memory in Kim Ho-jung’s car, which could clearly clarify the situation at the time of the accident, disappeared. Therefore, the police are also investigating the possibility of Kim Ho-jung’s drunk-driving hit-and-run.
On the CCTV footage released that day, around 11:40 p.m. on the 9th, a white SUV traveling on a two-lane road on Apgujeong Road, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, collided with a taxi stopped in the opposite lane. The impact was so intense that the wheel on the side hit flickered, but the driver did not stop and continued driving as if nothing happened. A witness reported, “He didn’t get out of the car and just drove away with the accelerator fully pressed. The engine sound was loudly audible.”
|
However, the affiliated agency explained, “After the accident, Kim Ho-jung parked the car in an alley, spoke with the manager, and the manager went to the police station saying he would handle it.” The agency also stated, “Kim Ho-jung, who found out about the false confession made by the manager, went to the police station for questioning, and as a result, no alcohol test results were obtained.” According to legal experts, it is highly unlikely for Kim Ho-jung, whose alcohol test results were not obtained after 17 hours, to face punishment for drunk driving. Although the suspicion of drunk driving cannot be ruled out after 17 hours, it is difficult to punish without alcohol levels.
|
However, if it is true that the manager changed clothes and made a false confession, the suspicion of ‘intentional driver substitution’ becomes stronger, which is viewed unfavorably in court judgments. Moreover, it seems unavoidable that there will be a hit-and-run suspicion as it has been confirmed that the collision accident was not at an unrecognizable level.
Nevertheless, the agency stated, “The planned ‘Trot Baroti Classic Arena Tour 2024’ in Changwon/Kimcheon and World Union Orchestra Super Classic will proceed as scheduled without any changes,” revealing Kim Ho-jung’s determination to continue with the performances.
Kim Ho-jung held the ‘Trot Baroti Classic Arena Tour 2024’ at Goyang Gymnasium in Gyeonggi Province on the 11th to 12th after the accident. It is scheduled to take place in Changwon on the 18th to 19th and in Kimcheon on June 1st to 2nd. Furthermore, the ‘World Union Orchestra Super Classic: Kim Ho-jung & Prima Donna’ concert at the Olympic Park KSPO DOME (Former Olympic Gymnastics Arena) is also approaching on the 23rd to 24th.
Contact info: lyn@sportschosun.com