Kim Ho-joong, who said he would reflect on himself, blamed his agency for turning himself in as a head-on wife and deputy.
Feb 12, 2025
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On the 12th, Kim Ho-joong's lawyer said in the first hearing of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeals Department 5-3 (Chief Judge Kim Ji-sun, So Byung-jin, and Kim Yong-joong), "Drinking has a typical pattern that makes it impossible to accurately measure alcohol after drinking hard alcohol when it is expected to be drunk." "But the defendant already knew that the manager would turn himself in instead, and did not know that he would go to the police to take a sobriety test."
"If I were drunk, I would have drunk strong spirits rather than canned beer" "I'm in my thirties with a strong body, and it's hard to understand that I'm choosing this kind of alcohol to increase my blood alcohol level" he insisted.
In addition, the allegation that Kim Ho-joong ordered his manager to turn himself in on behalf of him after driving under the influence "He only acted as aiding and abetting as decided by the head of the agency's headquarters and the manager. He insisted that he did not actively decide and drag the situation out.'
In addition, regarding the allegations of dangerous driving injuries under the Specific Crime Aggravated Punishment Act, "There are many statements that it was difficult to see it as intoxicated enough to make it difficult to drive normally" and "It cannot be concluded that Kim Ho-joong was unable to drive normally due to intoxication"
Kim Ho-joong was arrested and charged with violating the central line while drinking and driving on a road in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at around 11:45 p.m. on May 9 last year, causing a contact accident with a taxi on the other side of the road and fleeing. Kim Ho-joong, who denied drunk driving immediately after the accident, admitted to the crime 10 days after the accident. However, the prosecution excluded the charge of drunk driving at the prosecution stage because it was difficult to determine the drinking level.
In a final hearing held in September, the prosecution raised public resentment by committing serious and systematic acts of obstruction of justice," he said, asking the court to sentence Kim Ho-joong to three and a half years in prison.
At the time, in his closing statement, Kim Ho-joong apologized to the victim. I'm going to reflect on myself. Having come this far, I regret my choice even more that day""I will try to live a life that does not repeat the same mistakes rather than a life that does well 10 times." I reflected a lot in the detention center. I'll do my best," he said, appealing for leniency. Since then, Kim Ho-joong has submitted three letters of apology to the court.
Kim Ho-joong was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at the first trial held on November 13 last year.
narusi@sportschosun.com
