Hit-and-run driver tells fans "Safe trip home"... Netizens outraged at Kim Ho-joong's post

Trot singer and classical vocalist Kim Ho-joong is under police investigation for hit-and-run charges following a traffic accident on the 9th. Meanwhile, controversy has arisen over a post he made on his fan cafe on the 12th. On the 15th, an online community posted a message titled "Did he cause that accident on the 9th, hide it, and still post on the official cafe?" The post included Kim Ho-joong's message titled "Like the flower language of the rose in Goyang..." which he uploaded to the fan cafe around 8:24 PM on the 12th.

Trot singer and classical vocalist Kim Ho-joong is under police investigation for a hit-and-run traffic accident that occurred on the 9th, and a post he made on his fan cafe on the 12th has sparked controversy.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

In the post, Kim Ho-joong wrote, "I want to describe it as a time overflowing with love and beauty. I thought this happiness we share was so great and precious," adding, "I will take this feeling and emotion as it is and rush to Changwon. Thank you sincerely for joining and brightening the Goyang concert over the past two days, and I love you very much. Please have a good remaining weekend and return home safely. Thank you so much," he urged.

The part that sparked public outrage was the phrase at the end of the post, "Please return home safely." Just a few days before writing this post, at around 11:40 PM on the 9th, Kim Ho-joong was under police investigation for allegedly fleeing the scene after colliding with an oncoming vehicle on a road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu (hit-and-run under the Road Traffic Act). This fact was first revealed on the 14th. Kim Ho-joong held the 'Trotarotti Classic Arena Tour 2024' concerts in Goyang on the 11th and 12th, immediately after the incident.

Netizens reacted to the post with comments such as "That's a real out-of-body narrative," "He probably thought it would be buried," "Creepy," "Really scary," "An alibi pretending he didn't drive?" and "Hit-and-run and then telling people to be safe."

On the 5th, an online community post titled "Did he cause that accident on the 9th, hide it, and even post on the official cafe?" was uploaded. The post included Kim Ho-jung's message titled "Like the flower language of the rose in Goyang..." which he posted on the fan cafe around 8:24 PM on the 12th.
[Photo by Online Community]

원본보기 아이콘

Earlier, closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage released by MBN and Channel A showed that despite the left front and rear wheels of the SUV Kim Ho-joong was driving being lifted off the ground simultaneously due to a strong impact at the time of the accident, he did not get out of the car and continued driving. Furthermore, he did not respond to police contact and about 3 hours and 20 minutes later, at 2 AM, Kim Ho-joong's manager turned himself in to the police.

It was even reported that the manager came to the police wearing the same clothes Kim Ho-joong had been wearing at the time of the accident. Kim Ho-joong admitted to being the driver during police questioning the day after the accident, underwent a breathalyzer test 17 hours after the incident, and the vehicle’s black box went missing. The police reportedly applied for a search warrant to seize the memory card of Kim Ho-joong’s vehicle black box.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed that Kim Ho-joong visited a nightclub in Gangnam-gu shortly before the accident. However, during the police investigation, Kim Ho-joong denied drunk driving charges, stating that although he went to the nightclub, he did not drink alcohol. Regarding the manager turning himself in wearing Kim Ho-joong’s clothes, he stated that he was unaware as he had not been consulted.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.