Singer Kim Ho-joong (33), who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial for ‘Drunk Driving Hit-and-Run’, appealed for leniency at the first appeal trial held today (12th).

On the 12th, the 5-3rd Criminal Appeal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Kim Ji-seon, So Byeong-jin, and Kim Yong-joong) held the first appeal trial of Kim Ho-joong, who is charged with dangerous driving resulting in death and hit-and-run resulting in death under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, and failure to take action after an accident under the Road Traffic Act.

Kim Ho-joong, who appeared in court on crutches, denied all allegations of ‘drinking techniques’ and that he drank more after the accident and interfered with the blood alcohol concentration measurement.

Kim Ho-joong‘s attorney said, “Drinking is a method of driving that is expected to be tested for alcohol. In this situation, there is a typical pattern of drinking heavily and making an accurate measurement impossible,” he said. “However, Kim Ho-joong already knew that his manager would turn himself in, and he did not know that he would go to the police and take a breathalyzer test.”

He continued, “If he had intended to drink, he should have revealed to the police that he had been drinking, but Kim Ho-joong denied it,” he said. “Of course, it was very wrong to not be honest, but I did not think about the method of drinking at all. And if the purpose was to drink, I would have drunk strong liquor, not canned beer.”

Regarding the charge of Kim Ho-joong having his manager, Jang, falsely turn himself in after drunk driving, he claimed, “I only assisted in accordance with the decision of the agency’s headquarters director and manager,” and “I did not actively decide on or lead this situation.” Regarding the charge of dangerous driving resulting in death under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, there are many statements that it was difficult to view him as intoxicated at the time. He refuted the charges, saying, “We cannot conclude that Kim Ho-joong was unable to drive normally due to intoxication.”

Regarding the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of Kim Ho-joong, he said, “Kim Ho-joong has a significant deformity in one of his ankles, which makes it difficult for him to walk,” and added, “It is a wrong conclusion that the fact that he appeared to others to be staggering was due to drinking.”

Meanwhile, Kim Ho-joong is accused of driving drunk on May 9th at around 11:40 p.m. on a road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, crossing the center line, crashing into a taxi on the other side, and then fleeing the scene after having his manager, Mr. Jang, turn himself in on his behalf. Three hours after the accident, Jang went to the police wearing Kim Ho-joong’s clothes and falsely confessed to driving, and 17 hours after the accident, Kim Ho-joong appeared at the police station and avoided drunk driving charges by deliberately drinking more alcohol, also known as “drinking alcohol.” However, Kim Ho-joong eventually admitted to the crime ten days after the accident.

Last November, the 26th Criminal Division (Judge Choi Min-hye) of the Seoul Criminal District Court sentenced Kim Ho-joong to two years and six months in prison.

Meanwhile, it was reported that a commotion broke out inside the courtroom that day as Kim Ho-joong‘s fans gathered.

Reporter Lee Seul-bi, Donga.com misty82@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.