“Anxiety, not alcohol”… Kim Ho-jung, accused of hit-and-run, claims it was due to panic disorder… Excessive protection that is a blatant evasion.

[Sports Chosun Reporter Jo Jiyoung] Singer Kim Ho-jung, who is facing charges of hit-and-run, has sparked public outrage with the absurd cover-up attempts by his agency’s CEO and manager.

Kim Ho-jung is accused of hitting a taxi while driving and fleeing the scene around 11:40 pm on the 9th in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. CCTV footage capturing the incident showed the severity of the accident, where Kim Ho-jung’s vehicle collided with a taxi on the opposite lane, causing significant damage. Despite this, Kim Ho-jung left the scene without taking any action, and around 2 am on the 10th, his manager went to the police wearing the clothes Kim Ho-jung wore while driving, confessing, “I caused the accident.”

During the investigation, the police confirmed that Kim Ho-jung was the owner of the vehicle and ultimately revealed that Kim Ho-jung was the actual driver at the time of the accident. Kim Ho-jung was summoned multiple times to appear before the police, and he finally confessed at 4:30 pm on the 10th, 17 hours after the accident, that he was the one driving at the time of the accident. Regarding the incident where the manager confessed on Kim Ho-jung’s behalf, he claimed, “I didn’t know about it since we didn’t discuss it.” Additionally, the police conducted an alcohol test on Kim Ho-jung immediately, but due to the 17-hour delay, they couldn’t accurately determine if he was intoxicated.

Furthermore, the disappearance of Kim Ho-jung’s vehicle’s black box memory card, which recorded the incident, added to the controversy. The police even applied for a search and seizure warrant on the 14th to locate the crucial black box memory card.

Amidst these shocking allegations, Channel A reported on the 15th that Kim Ho-jung visited an entertainment bar in Gangnam shortly before the hit-and-run incident, causing a stir. In response, Kim Ho-jung denied the drunk driving accusation, saying, “I visited the entertainment bar, but I didn’t drink.” KBS also reported that the police have obtained a recorded conversation where Kim Ho-jung allegedly asked his manager to attend on his behalf and say, “I caused the accident while driving under the influence.” The police are investigating Kim Ho-jung for hit-and-run, evading the scene of the accident, drunk driving, and other charges.

As the scandal continued to unfold, the agency’s CEO eventually came out to defend Kim Ho-jung. Lee Kwang-deok, the CEO of Kim Ho-jung’s agency Think Entertainment, officially stated on the 16th, “On the 9th, Kim Ho-jung visited an entertainment bar with some acquaintances, including myself, while attending a drinking gathering. At that time, Kim Ho-jung, who had a concert in Goyang coming up, did not drink alcohol at all,” refuting the drunk driving allegation.

He continued, “Shortly after, Kim Ho-jung left first, and while driving his own car after returning home, the accident occurred due to his poor driving skills, exacerbated by severe panic. After the accident, when the manager called and found out about the accident, it was already too late as Kim Ho-jung was experiencing severe panic and making wrong judgements, not handling the accident properly and leaving the scene. Once it was known that Kim Ho-jung was the party involved in the accident, I was too afraid of the potential controversy.”

Regarding the evading charge, he explained, “Another manager who arrived at the scene first removed the memory card based on their own judgment. As the manager who allegedly confessed took Kim Ho-jung’s clothes and pretended to be him, I, as the CEO of the agency and Kim Ho-jung’s cousin, asked them to handle the matter in his place. It was an incident that occurred while I was trying to overly protect Kim Ho-jung.”

The public is now closely monitoring Kim Ho-jung’s hit-and-run case in light of the excessive protection and absurd excuses provided by his agency, reminiscent of Kim Sang-hyuk’s drunk driving incident in which the agency claimed, “He drank but didn’t drive under the influence.” Furthermore, despite these various controversies still unresolved, Kim Ho-jung is reportedly planning to proceed with his scheduled events, such as the ‘Tbaroti Classic Arena Tour 2024-Changwon’ on the 18th and the ‘World Union Orchestra Super Classic’ on the 23rd and 24th, leading to increased public criticism.