"Drinking hit-and-run" Will Kim Ho-joong's first letter of apology be reduced
Sep 06, 2024
|
On the 5th, Kim Ho-joong submitted a letter of apology to the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Chamber 26 (Judge Choi Min-hye), which is in charge of the case. Lee Kwang-deuk, CEO of Thinking Entertainment, and others, who were arrested along with Kim Ho-joong, filed several letters of apology, but this is the first time that Kim Ho-joong wrote a letter of apology.
At around 11:40 p.m. on May 9, Kim Ho-joong was driving drunk on a road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and violated the central line, collided with a taxi on the other side of the road, and ran away and urged his agency manager, identified only by his surname Jang, to give false information. CEO Lee Kwang-deuk and former head of the headquarters are accused of helping Kim Ho-joong cover up the crime by damaging the vehicle's black box video.
Later, Kim Ho-joong turned himself in to the police 17 hours after the accident. The prosecution charged Kim Ho-joong with non-action and criminal escape after the accident under the Road Traffic Act on the aggravated punishment of certain crimes, but since Kim Ho-joong was investigated a long time after the accident, he was not charged with drunk driving because he could not specify the exact number of alcohol consumption.
Kim Ho-joong pleaded guilty to all charges at the second hearing on Aug. 19. The affected taxi driver also submitted a petition to the court appealing for leniency.
Kim Ho-joong is set to face a final hearing and a bail hearing on the 30th. In this day's trial, the court will designate a sentencing date after the prosecution's sentence and the defendant's final argument.
silk781220@sportschosun.com
