Soloist Accused of Using Manager to Cover Up DUI Incident — Here’s What Happened

Trot singer Kim Ho Joong has recently been involved in a suspected DUI (Driving Under the Influence) incident, causing a stir among netizens.

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KBS published an exclusive report on May 15, revealing details of Kim Ho Joong’s involvement in a DUI incident. Sources reported that on May 9, the singer’s car was involved in a collision with a taxi driver. However, he faced criticism for attempting to shift the blame onto his manager.

According to the shared statement by Think Entertainment:

“Kim Ho Joong had a car accident with a taxi on the evening of the 9th. When the accident happened, Kim Ho Joong parked his car in an alley and called his manager, while the taxi driver called the police.

Later, when the manager found out about the situation, he went to the police station and confessed that he was the one driving. Kim Ho Joong then went to the police station and turned himself in, as well as went through an investigation and a breathalyzer test.

The results showed that there were no signs of alcohol in his system. We are currently waiting for the results of the accident. At the time of the incident, Kim Ho Joong felt embarrassed and did not properly succeed with the post-mortem process.

We bow our heads and apologize for causing a social scandal. The agency and Kim Ho Joong promise to do their best in dealing with the incident.”

During the investigation, KBS revealed that police authorities obtained CCTV footage and executed a search and seizure warrant to retrieve the black box memory card from Kim Ho Hoong’s car.

On the 15th, a statement was released by Kim Ho Joong’s agency stating that he had visited an entertainment bar, but had not consumed any alcohol. The agency representative had instructed the manager to appear on his behalf, rather than Mr. Kim himself.

Think Entertainment’s CEO Lee Kwang Deuk also attempted to diffuse the situation, as reported by Korean news outlet News1 in their recent article (https://www.news1.kr/articles/5416594).

“Kim Ho Joong stopped by the entertainment bar to say hello and some of my associates. On that day, he had an upcoming concert in Goyang, so he was the first to say, ‘I won’t drink alcohol.’ Once again, I repeat that Kim Ho Joong did not drink alcohol.

After greeting us, he was the first to go home and he drove his car, but had an accident due to inexperience in driving. At that time, Kim Ho Joong had a panic attack and made wrong decisions.

It was me, not Kim Ho Joong, who made the request. After hearing about what had happened, I was afraid that if it became known that the person involved was Kim Ho Joong, it would cause controversy.

So, I asked Manager A to put on Mr. Kim’s clothes and go to the police to deal with the situation. On my end, this is considered as being overprotective, as his CEO and close friend. I regret the decisions made.

The part where I asked him to appear on his behalf and the removed memory card was explained through the transcript. Other matters are still under investigation, and everyone is working hard. The answers in the interview are like in the police investigation and the transcript have been handed to the police.”

Here are the reactions of netizens to the incident:

“I think it’s drunk driving. You made a lot of money, so why are you calling someone else to be a criminal?”

“Only your own life is important and other people’s lives are not important?”

“Why are you talking about protecting artists like this?”

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