Kim Ho-joong Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Drunk Hit-and-Run
Apr 25, 2025
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An appeals court hearing was held on the 25th for Kim Ho-joong, who was arrested and charged with violating the law on the aggravated punishment of certain crimes (hazardous driving injuries, escape injuries), violating the Road Traffic Act (not taken after the accident), and a criminal evacuation teacher at the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Appeals Department 5-3 (Chief Judge Kim Ji-sun, So Byung-jin and Kim Yong-joong).
On this day, the court dismissed Kim Ho-joong's appeal and sentenced him to two and a half years in prison.
Kim Ho-joong is accused of driving his vehicle drunk on a road in Apgujeong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at around 11:44 p.m. on May 9 last year, hitting a taxi across the street and running away. Initially, the police charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol, but he was excluded from the prosecution stage because he could not measure the amount of alcohol he drank under the Withmark formula.
The first trial court sentenced Kim Ho-joong to two and a half years in prison, saying, `It is questionable whether he is reflecting.'
Kim Ho-joong immediately appealed and strongly denied the allegations of drunkenness and the fugitive teacher. He also emphasized that he agreed with the taxi driver, who was the victim of an accident that occurred while operating a mobile phone, not while driving under the influence of alcohol. At the same time, Kim Ho-joong appealed for leniency by submitting more than 134 letters of apology.
"I am truly sorry for causing a stir in society," said Kim Ho-joong. In the meantime, it has become a time to take a closer look without missing any of my mistakes. My sins will not be erased for the rest of my life, but I will use this as a catalyst to live a new life. Everything is my fault, my mistake. I will sincerely reflect on myself."
However, the Appeals Tribunal said "The amount of alcohol consumed by the Defendant on the day of the incident seems to be considerable. It cannot be said that an accident occurred simply by manipulating a mobile phone. It is believed that drinking has significantly reduced thinking and judgment", he pointed out.
Former Thinking Entertainment CEO Lee Kwang-deuk, who is accused of removing the black box memory card and urging his manager Jang to appear at the police instead, and former head of the department were also sentenced to two years in prison and a year and a half in prison, and manager Jang was sentenced to one year and two years of probation, as in the first trial.
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