As Kim Ho-joong withdraws his appeal, attention is focused on the release date of the singer, whose prison sentence has been confirmed.
According to the legal community on the 19th, Kim Ho-joong submitted a notice of withdrawal of appeal to the Supreme Court on this day. As a result, the 2-year and 6-month sentence imposed by the appellate court on Kim Ho-joong has been confirmed. Kim Ho-joong, who was arrested and indicted on June 18 last year, is expected to be released on December 24, 2026.
Kim Ho-joong was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (dangerous driving causing injury) in both the first and second trials.
The appellate court stated, "The amount of alcohol consumed by the defendant on the day of the incident appears to be considerable, and it cannot be simply viewed as an accident caused by manipulating a mobile phone," adding, "It is evident that the defendant's ability to think and judge was significantly impaired due to alcohol, leading to the accident."
It continued, "In Kim Ho-joong's case, the nature of the crime is poor, and the circumstances after the crime are also unfavorable," but noted, "Considering that the traffic accident was settled and that the defendant has no prior convictions or serious criminal record, the original sentence does not seem to exceed a reasonable range," explaining the reasons for sentencing.
In response, Kim Ho-joong submitted an appeal on the 1st. On the other hand, Lee Kwang-deuk, the CEO of his agency Think Entertainment, and the head of the department, Jeon Mo, who were indicted for involvement in concealing Kim Ho-joong's drunk driving incident, gave up their appeals, and their sentences of 2 years and 1 year and 6 months were confirmed, respectively. Additionally, the manager, Jang Mo, who falsely confessed on behalf of Kim Ho-joong, also maintained a sentence of 1 year in prison with a 2-year probation.
Subsequently, Kim Ho-joong's case was formally received by the Supreme Court on the 13th, and a public defender was appointed the next day. While it seemed that Kim Ho-joong was making every effort to reduce his sentence through the appeal, he ultimately decided to accept the court's ruling.
Kim Ho-joong is accused of driving under the influence and hitting a taxi on the opposite road in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, last May, and fleeing the scene while urging his manager, Jang Mo, to falsely confess. However, since Kim Ho-joong reported to the police 17 hours after the accident, it became impossible to measure his blood alcohol concentration using the Widmark formula, leading to the exclusion of the drunk driving charge.
The prosecution sought a 3-year and 6-month prison sentence for Kim Ho-joong, but both the first and second trial courts sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months. Kim Ho-joong submitted as many as 134 letters of reflection before the sentencing, trying to reduce his sentence, but it did not influence the court's decision.
During the second trial's second hearing, Kim Ho-joong stated, "I am sorry for causing public disturbance. I apologize to the victim as well. I also regret wasting public resources due to my incident. I have spent the last four seasons here reflecting on my mistakes. I have tried to take time for reflection," and added, "I know this crime will never be erased from my life. I will live a different life from before, using this incident as a catalyst."
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
