[HanCinema's News] Kim Ho-joong Faces Reputation Collapse in the Weeks Following his Traffic Accident
By William Schwartz | Published on
On May 9th, at approximately 11:40 PM, an apparently drunk driver hit a taxi in the Gangnam district of Seoul. Some 17 hours later, Kim Ho-joong appeared in front of police, apparently involved in the incident, though his exact culpability remains unknown. False statements by Kim Ho-joong's manager and the disappearance of the memory card of the car's black box raised suspicions of drunk driving and driver switching, as police continue to investigate.
Advertisement
Though he initially denied the accusations, Kim Ho-joong admitted to and apparently apologized for his actions following a firestorm of negative media coverage- but only after finishing a concert in Changwon last weekend. Claiming a moment of bad judgment that hurt many people, Kim Ho-joong stated through his agency that he sincerely wanted to express remorse for what he had done. On May 21st, Kim Ho-joong submitted to police investigation for some seven hours on the subject.
On May 22nd, the police filed multiple charages against Kim Ho-joong, including reckless driving, fleeing from road authorities, and violation of traffic laws. Kim Ho-joong attempted to delay further proceedings for concerts on May 23rd and 24th, although the courts denied this request. These action have not endeared Kim Ho-joong to South Korean society, and his reputation has only faced a further hit now that a complainant has come forward accusing Kim Ho-joong of being a vicious bully.
The allegations are summarized in this video by the YouTube channel Caracula, though English subtitles for this video are not available at this time. In the video, an anonymous informant claimed that Kim Ho-joong once beat him for over thirty minutes for failing to greet him. Another informant stated that despite his gangster behavior, Kim Ho-joong was never even forced to change schools.
One person that appeared on the SBS variety show Starking also claimed that all the stories told about Kim Ho-joong on that show were made up. These are not the first allegations of cruel behavior against Kim Ho-joong. He had been accused of dating violence and illegal gambling in 2020, and even investigated for online gambling in 2021. Though apologies seemed to stem criticism of him at the time, the new allegations are doing tremendous damage to his reputation now.
Written by William Schwartz
William Schwartz
Staff writer. Has been writing articles for HanCinema since 2012, having lived in South Korea from 2011 to 2021. He is currently located in the Portland metropolitan area. William Schwartz can be contacted via william@hancinema.net, and is open to requests for content in future articles.