Singer Kim Ho-joong, Convicted of DUI Hit-and-Run, to Be Released 5 Months Early

Singer Kim Ho-joong, who has been serving time for a drunk driving hit-and-run accident, will be released on the 30th.

Kim's agency announced today (June 23) that "Kim Ho-joong recently passed the Ministry of Justice's parole review."

Kim, who had been incarcerated on charges including drunk driving, was previously considered for parole during the Christmas special amnesty last December.

At that time, he was deemed ineligible due to the severity of his crimes, including fleeing the scene after the accident and attempting to have his manager take the blame. However, having passed this latest parole review, he will return to society five months earlier than his original scheduled release date in November.

Kim was arrested and indicted for driving under the influence in Apgujeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in May 2024, crossing the center line and colliding with a taxi in the opposite lane before fleeing the scene and having his manager, surnamed Jang, turn himself in instead.

After initially denying the drunk driving allegations, Kim admitted to the crime ten days after the accident. Both the first and second trial courts sentenced him to two years and six months in prison.

The court ruled that the nature of the accident and the subsequent flight were serious, and that his behavior following the crime was also unfavorable.

The CEO and the head of the division at his agency, who were involved in covering up the drunk driving accident, were also sentenced to two years and one year and six months in prison, respectively.

The manager, surnamed Jang, who falsely confessed to the crime, received a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years.

Kim was serving his sentence at the Seoul Detention Center before being transferred to Somang Prison in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, last August. At the time, allegations were raised that a prison officer at Somang Prison had demanded 30 million won in exchange for the transfer, prompting the Ministry of Justice to launch an investigation.

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Hong Jinyoung | Graphics by Lee Sumin | Produced by SBS Digital News

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.