There are allegations of past school violence against trot singer Kim Ho Joong, who is currently under suspicion of a hit-and-run while intoxicated.
A tipster identified as 'A,' a junior by one year at Gyeongbuk Arts High School, Kim Ho Joong’s alma mater, told the Seoul Economic Daily on May 22 that he was bullied by Kim Ho Joong.
According to the report, 'A' stated, "When Kim Ho Joong was in his second year, he came to my place, took my money, and beat me up. He often sent me on errands to buy cigarettes." He added, "After it became known that Kim Ho Joong was involved in a hit-and-run, the juniors who were victimized (by him)started contacting each other."
'A' claimed that he entered Gyeongbuk Arts High School to continue his music studies on the recommendation of his middle school teacher but had to drop out due to continuous bullying by Kim Ho Joong, who was his senior.
He considered transferring to another school but was rejected by general high schools because he came from an arts school. Eventually, he ended up at a special school but failed to adapt there and did not graduate from high school.
'A' said, "At that time, school violence was not considered a serious social issue, so even when I informed my homeroom teacher about the abuse, nothing happened." He added, "Other students are also coming forward to report after hearing about Kim Ho Joong's incident."
'A's father also spoke to Seoul Economic Daily, saying, "My son expressed a lot of grievances when he was in high school. As a father, the fact that I couldn't take care of him still weighs heavily on my heart." He appealed, "I don't want compensation. I want Kim Ho Joong to acknowledge that he bullied his juniors and sincerely apologize."
Earlier on the same day, the YouTube channel Caracula Media released an interview with another alleged victim of school violence by Kim Ho Joong.
The victim in the video claimed to be a junior by one year at Gyeongbuk Arts High School and stated, "When Kim Ho Joong was a second-year student and I was a first-year, he beat me up for over 30 minutes just because I didn't greet him."
A friend who was close to Kim Ho Joong during their time at Gyeongbuk Arts High School also appeared in the video. He said, "Because Kim Ho Joong was talented and good at singing, the school often overlooked his behavior in hopes that he would become a prominent alumnus." He further explained, "There were rumors that he was forcibly transferred because of gang activities, but that’s not true. He was transferred after receiving demerits and punishments for school violence and poor behavior."
Meanwhile, on the night of the 9th at around 11:40 PM, Kim Ho Joong was involved in a collision with an oncoming taxi in Apgujeong, Gangnam, Seoul, and left the scene without taking any measures. He is being charged with leaving the scene of an accident under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and failing to take action after an accident.
Kim Ho Joong reported to the police 17 hours later, at 4:30 PM the following day, for investigation. During this process, it was revealed that Kim Ho Joong’s agency attempted to cover up the accident by having his manager report to the police instead and remove the black box memory card from the vehicle.
Kim Ho Joong consistently denied the drunk driving allegation for ten days after the incident but admitted to it through his agency on May 19.
On the 21st, at around 2 PM, Kim Ho Joong appeared at the police station for the first time since admitting to drunk driving. After approximately 8 hours and 30 minutes of questioning, he briefly commented, "What more needs to be said by a criminal? I have been investigated and will continue to cooperate with the remaining investigation," before leaving.
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So basically, this guy has been a douchebag all his life.