Kim Ho Joong hires six lawyers ahead of hit-and-run trial

Singer Kim Ho-joong, who is facing trial for a hit-and-run incident, has appointed additional lawyers ahead of his first trial.

According to Star News on the 2nd, Kim Ho-joong, who was detained and indicted for violating the Act on Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (Dangerous Driving Injury), appointed lawyers Jeon Sang-gwi and Cho Wan-woo from the law firm Hyunjae on June 26. Notably, Jeon Sang-gwi, like Kim Ho-joong, is from Ulsan and is introduced on his personal blog.

On the following day, June 27, three lawyers from the law firm Daehwan resigned, but lawyer Lee Ho-seon submitted a notice of appointment on the same day. As a result, Kim Ho-joong’s legal team now consists of six lawyers, including Jo Nam-gwan, who served as Acting Prosecutor General, and former prosecutor Chu Hyung-woon. This indicates Kim Ho-joong’s thorough preparation for the upcoming trial.

Lee Kwang-deuk, the CEO of Kim Ho-joong’s agency Think Entertainment, and other associates, who are also facing trial, have only appointed two lawyers, Jo Nam-gwan and Chu Hyung-woon. Among them, Jeon, the head of the department, who was charged with removing the black box memory card from the accident vehicle (evidence destruction), submitted a letter of apology to the court on June 27, appealing for leniency.

Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 26, Judge Choi Min-hye, will hold the first trial for Kim Ho-joong, CEO Lee Kwang-deuk, department head Jeon, and manager Jang on July 10. Previously, Kim Ho-joong was detained and indicted on charges of causing injury by dangerous driving under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, hit-and-run causing injury, failure to take necessary measures after an accident under the Road Traffic Act, and instructing another to take the blame. Due to the difficulty in determining the exact blood alcohol level using the Widmark formula, charges of drunk driving were not applied.

The prosecution has also detained CEO Lee Kwang-deuk for instigating evidence destruction and charged department head Jeon with evidence destruction and aiding and abetting drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act. Manager Jang, who drove under the influence and falsely confessed on behalf of Kim Ho-joong, was indicted without detention for drunk driving under the Road Traffic Act, harboring a criminal, and evidence destruction.

Kim Ho-joong is accused of hitting an oncoming taxi while driving under the influence on a road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at around 11:40 PM on May 9 and fleeing the scene. The taxi driver reportedly received a two-week medical diagnosis. After fleeing, Kim Ho-joong moved to a hotel near Guri, Gyeonggi Province, and reported to the police at 4:30 PM the following day, 17 hours later. During this time, manager Jang falsely confessed to the police that he was driving.

However, after police identified the vehicle owner and pressed Kim Ho-joong, he belatedly admitted to driving. Although he initially denied drunk driving, he reversed his stance ten days after the accident and apologized. Kim Ho-joong stated, “I am truly sorry for causing harm and disappointment to many people due to a momentary wrong decision.”