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The prominent trot singer Kim Ho-joong is reportedly being investigated by the Seoul Gangnam Police for allegedly fleeing the scene of an accident. According to information released on May 14, 2024, the South Korean media outlet Maeil Business reported that a white luxury SUV (Bentley Bentayga) collided with a parked cab on the other side.
Reportedly, Kim Ho-joong drove his car straight on a roadway with two lanes in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, at around 11:40 PM on May 9, when he hit an oncoming taxi and fled the scene. Later, his agency Thinking Entertainment issued a notice on his fan cafe Tbarotti on his behalf where the singer apologized for his actions.
"Kim Ho-joong was embarrassed at the time of the accident and failed to properly proceed with the post-processing. We would like to bow down and apologize for causing a social controversy" (as reported by Maeil Business)
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Meanwhile, reports surfaced that following the accident, Mr. A, a representative of Kim Ho-joong's firm, allegedly went to the police station and admitted to being the driver of the singer's car. Under police interrogation, the singer first denied driving the night of the collision, but he eventually admitted to driving when the police put pressure on him.
Kim Ho-joong allegedly attempted to frame his manager for the car accident
Three hours after the accident, on May 10, at about 2 a.m., Kim Ho-joong's manager, a guy in his 30s, went to the police station and allegedly told the police he was the perpetrator of the accident. Maeil Business reported that there were rumors that the manager even showed up dressed like the Trot singer to convince the police.
Kim Ho-joong was summoned to come before the police often during the process, but the singer did not attend. As a result, he didn't show up until 4:30 p.m. on May 10, 2024, which was 17 hours after the accident.
Later, during interrogation, the trot singer acknowledged driving the car himself and confirmed that he was the owner of the car. The authorities are also looking into the likelihood that Kim Ho-joong drove the car after drinking and that this is allegedly what caused the collision.
According to reports, the police have requested a search warrant against the 33-year-old trot singer, who is being looked into for a possible hit-and-run incident on May 9. Although the drunk driving test came out negative, the authorities have not ruled out the potential that the singer was intoxicated because the test was not performed until a long time after the collision.
Along with looking into whether the Trot singer tried to switch drivers and frame his manager or purposefully concealed the black box memory card, police are also looking into how the management gave a false confession. Charges like eluding the law enforcement agency or destroying evidence are anticipated to be brought if they prove to be accurate.
Furthermore, Channel A claims that no recorded footage was accessible since the black box (dashcam) on Kim Ho-joong's car was missing a memory card. Regarding the existence of the black box memory card and whether Kim Ho-joong was operating the vehicle while intoxicated, police intend to extend the investigation.
Ho-joong's agency, Thought Entertainment, gave an official statement that:
"Kim Ho joong was involved in a traffic accident with a taxi on the evening of the 9th. After the accident, he parked the car in an alley, made a call with his manager, and during that time, the taxi driver reported the incident to the police. After learning about the situation, the manager decided to take responsibility and went to the police station to confess that he was the one driving." (as reported by Allkpop)
The agency continued,
"Upon learning of this fact, Kim Ho Joong personally went to the police station to undergo investigation and alcohol testing. The test results showed no signs of alcohol consumption, and he is currently awaiting the outcome of the accident investigation."
The Tbarotti Classic Arena Tour 2024 was on a nationwide tour from April 20 to June 2, 2024, when the disaster occurred. The singer performed after the crash and went on to perform on May 11 and 12 at Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. His hit-and-run case occurred ahead of his Changwon performance on May 18 and 19, and Gimcheon show on June 1 and 2.
Meanwhile, Ki Ho-joong's agency Thinking Entertainment mentioned that there won't be any changes to the scheduled Tbarotti Classic Arena Tour 2024 Changwon/Gimcheon and the World Union Orchestra Super Classic.
