Kim Hojoong Expresses Will to Return One Month After Parole

Published 2026.07.29 13:17 View Count

Singer Kim Hojoong has shared his feelings with fans one month after his parole, hinting at his will to return.

Kim Hojoong posted a message titled "Dear ARISS" on his official fan cafe on the 27th, saying, "The past month since my parole felt as if my time was picking up right where it left off two years ago. I thought a lot about how difficult and lonely it must have been for all of you during the time I was away. When I think about how you stayed in your places unchangingly, believed in me, and supported me through the long wait, feelings of gratitude and apology rush over me together."

Regarding his agency status, he stated, "I have decided to continue with the existing staff members who had to go through difficulties because of my fault. Since they are the people who had to endure hard times because of me, sticking together until the end is an important responsibility I must fulfill, and I believe that is the way I have lived and the way I will live."

Previously, Kim Hojoong was sent to trial on charges of driving under the influence in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on May 9, 2024, colliding with a taxi on the opposite side of the road, and leaving the scene. During the investigation, it was revealed that a manager falsely confessed immediately after the accident, and circumstances of the so-called "sool-ta-gi" (drinking trick), attempting to obstruct blood alcohol concentration measurements through additional drinking after the accident, sparked public outrage. The court found him guilty of charges including fleeing the scene resulting in injury under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes, finalizing a sentence of two years and six months in prison.

Kim Hojoong began his imprisonment at the Seoul Detention Center and was transferred to the Yeoju Somang Prison in August of last year to serve his sentence. He passed the Ministry of Justice parole review on June 30, returning to society about five months earlier than his originally scheduled mandatory release date of November 24.