"Drinking hit-and-run" Kim Ho-joong was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in the first trial.

Singer Kim Ho-joong, who is accused of a drunk hit-and-run, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim to two and a half years in prison today (13th) on charges of dangerous driving injuries.

The court criticized Kim's overall attitude toward the crime, saying it was questionable whether he felt any guilt for his wrongdoings as an adult.

He also pointed out that the circumstances after the crime were bad, such as making excuses that were difficult to understand even though he was seen stumbling due to the influence of drinking by CCTV, which is objective evidence.

Earlier in late September, the prosecution demanded a three-and-a-half-year prison term for Kim at a final hearing.

At the time, Kim said in his closing statement that he would not repeat the same mistake, and that he would wake up and live upright.

Kim is accused of driving while drinking on the road in Gangnam, Seoul, and running away after bumping into a taxi in the opposite lane in May.

Kim, who denied driving under the influence of alcohol, admitted to the crime 10 days after the accident, but the prosecution excluded the charge of driving under the influence of alcohol because it was difficult to prove it because the blood alcohol level could not be measured at the time of driving.