[Seoul=Newsis] By Jae-hoon Lee = Trot singer Kim Ho-jung (33) is facing a situation where he may have to refund hundreds of billions of won as a result of admitting to driving under the influence after a performance in Changwon, Gyeongnam, where he had enforced his way by telling lies, even deceiving his fans.
According to the industry on the 20th, the total amount Kim Ho-jung may have to pay for canceling the performance due to drunk driving, refunds, and compensation for damages caused by lies could reach hundreds of billions of won. It is generally difficult to provide compensation to the audience who attended the concerts at Goyang Gymnasium and Changwon Sports Park Indoor Gymnasium, despite the situation.
However, especially in relation to this, moral condemnation is being poured on Kim Ho-jung, leading to an acceleration in fan defection. Goyang Gymnasium has about 6,000 seats, while the Sports Park Indoor Gymnasium has about 5,000 seats.
The ticket prices for the ‘Trot Baroti Classic Arena Tour’ concerts held at these two places are VIP seats at 230,000 won and R seats at 200,000 won. This is considered high for a domestic popular music concert held at a non-large venue. Assuming an average ticket price of 215,000 won and an 80% seat occupancy rate at each location, an estimated total revenue of about 37 billion won was generated from the two concerts. This is why criticism has been raised that the concerts were enforced for this money.
Fans who traveled to the concert venue even by tourist buses in Seoul expressed their anger, saying, “We believed that the truth about Kim Ho-jung would be revealed until the end, how could he do this to the fans.”
However, the problem for Kim Ho-jung and his agency, Thought Entertainment, begins now.
[Seoul=Newsis] By Kang Gyeong-guk = While trot singer Kim Ho-jung (33), who is facing hit-and-run and drunk driving allegations, held the concert ‘Trot Baroti Classic Arena Tour’ for two days at Changwon Sports Park Indoor Gymnasium in Gyeongnam on the 18th and 19th, fans of Kim Ho-jung are looking at goods near the concert venue on the 19th.
Kim Ho-jung’s appearance at ‘World Union Orchestra Super Classic: Kim Ho-jung & Prima Donna’ scheduled to be held at Seoul Olympic Park K-Sport Dome on the 23rd and 24th is practically falling apart.
The ‘World Union Orchestra Super Classic’ is organized by the public broadcaster KBS. KBS had already requested a change of performers to the organizing company as various suspicions arose about Kim Ho-jung.
The ticket prices for this concert range from 150,000 won to 230,000 won. With 20,000 seats sold out for two days, even if the average ticket price is set at 200,000 won, the related revenue is estimated to reach 4 billion won.
In particular, Kim Ho-jung was scheduled to perform key parts of the program, collaborating with sopranos Aida Garifullina and Larisa Martínez. This is why there is no choice but to cause interruptions to the performance. With little time to find a replacement for Kim Ho-jung, and a considerable number of ticket purchasers for this performance being fans of Kim Ho-jung, the organizers are also in a difficult situation.
As a result, the concerts scheduled for June 1-2 in Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and the latter half of the year in Seoul as part of the ‘Trot Baroti Classic Arena Tour’ are also likely to be canceled. SBS Medianet, which has been in charge of directing the ‘Trot Baroti Classic Arena Tour,’ has already withdrawn.
When calculating various penalties for breach of event appearance fees, advertising appearance fees, and others, it is easily estimated that Kim Ho-jung and Thought Entertainment will have to come up with hundreds of billions of won.
Meanwhile, Kim Ho-jung is already hinting at a return through a post he left on a fan cafe the day before. He said, “When the police investigation is over and all the results come out, I will return to this house.”
Earlier, on the evening of the 9th, Kim Ho-jung is suspected of hitting a taxi on a road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul at 11:40 pm without taking any action and leaving the scene (suspected of fleeing the scene following a specific crime under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and the Road Traffic Act).
While it is true that Kim Ho-jung visited an adult entertainment establishment before the accident, he has been lying that he did not drink. However, the National Forensic Service informed the police that it had determined through emotional analysis that Kim Ho-jung had consumed alcohol before the accident. The police have expanded the investigation, suspecting that there were attempts to systematically cover up the incident by Kim Ho-jung’s agency, Thought Entertainment. The police are also considering applying for a warrant for Kim Ho-jung’s arrest. One interpretation is that one of the reasons Kim Ho-jung admitted to drunk driving was to avoid imprisonment.
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