Kim Ho-jung's complacent behavior is causing inconvenience and harm to many.
On the 9th at around 11:40 p.m., Kim Ho-jung collided with a taxi that was stopped on the opposite road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, while driving his car. However, instead of taking care of the accident, he simply fled the scene. Later, another manager visited the police station in place of Kim Ho-jung and confessed that he had been driving Kim Ho-jung's vehicle, but this was a lie.
After taking refuge in a hotel in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, Kim Ho-jung was interrogated by the police 17 hours later and admitted to driving after intense questioning. As this fact became known, suspicions arose that Kim Ho-jung fled the scene due to driving under the influence. The situation became so serious that the manager's false confession led to accusations of aggravated charges of hit-and-run and driving under the influence.
Nevertheless, the agency insisted that Kim Ho-jung did not drink because he had a performance the next day. Even the representative of S düşünce Entertainment stated on the 16th, "I asked the manager, who is known to have confessed, to take off Kim Ho-jung's clothes and change into them to handle things for him. Everything occurred because I, as Kim Ho-jung's representative and relative, overprotected him."
However, this was also caught in the police investigation. The police found that before the accident on the 9th, Kim Ho-jung visited a restaurant in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, with acquaintances and had a meal accompanied by alcohol. As a result, the police expanded their investigation to include charges of hit-and-run, evidence destruction, instigation of escape, and driving under the influence.
On the 24th, Director General Shin Young-hee of the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Kim Ho-jung, who is facing four charges, citing concerns of evidence destruction. Not only Kim Ho-jung but also the agency representative who instructed the manager to falsely confess and the Deputy Minister who removed the black box memory card were arrested. Kim Ho-jung is currently being investigated while detained at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul.
According to TV Chosun's 'News 9' on the 28th, the police seized and analyzed Kim Ho-jung's manager's mobile phone to secure call transcripts. This was made possible by the automatic recording function of the manager's phone. The media reported that Kim Ho-jung told the manager right after the accident, "I caused an accident after drinking," and "Please confess for me." The police are confident that they will prove Kim Ho-jung's guilt with sufficient evidence, without considering a lie detector.
As a result of this incident, unexpected victims are emerging one after another.
Previously, it was reported that a famous comedian and rapper were present at the drinking party Kim Ho-jung had before the accident. Consequently, rumors have circulated that comedian Heo Gyeong-hwan and rapper Sleepy were those individuals. Both denied the claims through social media, and on the 28th, it was revealed that Jung Chan-woo of Cultwo and Gil of LeeSsang had met Kim Ho-jung on the day of the accident.
However, S düşünce Entertainment stated, "On the day of the Kim Ho-jung incident, Jung Chan-woo was present at a screen golf gathering. However, he did not accompany the team for dinner afterwards or to the entertainment venue and returned home. He also reported this to the police during the investigation." Conversely, Gil's side expressed a reserved position that it is difficult to confirm as they could not contact the artist the same day.
Not only Heo Gyeong-hwan, Sleepy, Jung Chan-woo, and Gil, but all those who shared meals with Kim Ho-jung are in an awkward position.
S düşünce Entertainment announced, "We have decided to terminate all employees related to this incident and change the representative director," adding, "We also convey our apologies to the artists affiliated with our company regarding this situation. We are currently reviewing whether to continue our management business. Prioritizing the opinions of the affiliated artists, we plan to terminate exclusive contracts without any conditions during consultations."
On the 27th, a post appeared in an anonymous community for office workers saying, "Ho-jung hyung! The police are not that XX," drawing attention. In this now-deleted post, the author, identifying as belonging to the Korean National Police Agency, stated, "If the investigation agency deemed it so XX, how many lies must have been told, considering it could have been settled by handing over compensation to the other party and punishing the drinking as it deserves?" pointing out that Kim Ho-jung was the one escalating matters.
Although he is still disputing the criminal charges, the moment Kim Ho-jung took the wheel, his complacent and rash choice has led to an uncontrollable backlash. Employees who lost their jobs, colleagues who faced unintended criticism, and staff who ended up behind bars while trying to protect themselves. At this point, it seems like the worst accident that must never happen.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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