[NewsNow] "I'll wake up"... "Drinking hit-and-run" Kim Ho-joong is sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison.

■ Host: Anchor Jeong Ji-woong
■ Starring: Jeong Kyung-il, a transportation lawyer

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN NewsNOW] when quoting.

[Anchor]
Ask a professional about a hot issue. It's an issue call.

Trot singer Kim Ho-joong, who caused a drunk hit-and-run accident, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in the first trial.I appealed for leniency by submitting a third letter of apology, but in the end, it didn't work. Immediately after the accident, Kim repeatedly denied driving under the influence and held a scheduled solo concert.

As the investigation progressed, he belatedly admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol, but the blood alcohol level was not measured at the time of the accident, so the suspicion of driving under the influence was removed from the prosecution's indictment, adding to the controversy. At the final hearing in September, the prosecution asked Kim for three and a half years in prison.

Kim, who admitted the charges, said in his closing statement, "I will not repeat the same mistake. I'll wake up and live upright," he said, appealing for leniency. As a result of today's first trial, let's take a closer look with Chung Kyung-il, a transportation lawyer. The lawyer's here.

[Jung Kyung-il]
Hello.

[Anchor]
How are you? It's morning a little while ago. In the first trial, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. First, put the punishment on the line, what do you think?

[Kyungil Jung]
First of all, if you look at the crimes in question in this trial, you could not prosecute drunk driving. However, for drunk driving traffic accidents, the crime of not taking care of the accident, the crime of not taking care of the accident, and the crime of changing the driver was applied to the crime of running away.

If these crimes are contested, they will be sentenced to 1 to 45 years in prison. They will be fined 45 million won. However, the punishment for drunk driving traffic accidents has been soft so far, and I agreed with the victim, was arrested, and I thought I would be sentenced to probation. To be honest, I didn't expect it. It can be seen as an unusual case of sentencing in June of two years.

[Anchor]
I heard that it's heavier than the precedent. What are the charges or circumstances that influenced this ruling the most?

[Kyungil Jung]
In fact, most simple drunk driving traffic accidents end with fines. And even if you fled like this, if you confess to the crime, it won't lead to imprisonment like this. However, in this case, unlike other similar cases, strict standards were applied to the police, prosecution, and court levels.

As you all know, even though the whole nation is watching, they deny the crime and systematically cover up the crime, and in the end, they couldn't even prosecute drunk driving. This led to an arrest investigation at the police level, and a prison sentence of 3 years and 6 months at the prosecution level, and eventually to a prison sentence of 2 years and 6 months at the court.

Simply put, it's a celebrity's systematic obstruction of justice. It drew the ire of the whole nation and caused social repercussions, eventually leading to the conviction and seems to reflect the need for a punishment system.

[Anchor]
It makes me think that the judgment's disgustingness was not reflected, but Kim admitted all the charges and agreed with the victim. I've also submitted three letters of apology, and these are the factors that influence the flavor determination, right?

[Kyungil Jung]
It usually acts as a favorable factor for sentence decisions. It is advantageous to submit an agreement with the victim and a letter of apology that deeply repents the sin. However, it doesn't seem to have had a significant impact on this incident. Even if it had an effect, the defendant denied his attitude and drinking until now, tried to perform, tried to drink second time, and systematically covered up the crime, so I think the reflection itself was seen as a formal reflection.

Also, more importantly, the incident was known to the whole nation as if it were broadcast live, and it had a huge social impact. In addition, a legislative bill called the Kim Ho-joong Act was proposed to prevent secondary drinking, which seems to have had a greater impact on the public than the consensus and reflection on the victim.

[Anchor]
The court extended Kim's arrest period to December. So I extended it last month. The results of the by-elections are not coming. Can it be considered that this was the punishment in anticipation of the first trial's imprisonment?

[Kyungil Jung]
It may be a consequential story, but usually at the court level, the arrest period is two months, and the trial can be extended by two months until June. However, you might think that the extension of the arrest is inevitable because of the usual sentencing date, but the case was arrested and prosecuted in June, and in fact, there has been no special change in circumstances since then.

Then the facts were the same and there was no new argument or evidence. Then the same judge makes the judgment, but it seems that the judge was making some decision. It seems that he has not decided to extend the arrest period and apply for bail after thinking of imprisonment.

[Anchor]
I think this ruling could raise the alarm for crimes such as drunk driving. What do you think?

[Kyungil Jung]
That's right. In fact, there were many concerns and many copycat crimes, saying that the Kim Ho-joong case created a gap in drunk driving. In fact, this part can be seen as a wake-up call in the court, and it seems that it has become a legislative void and a supplementary ruling.

Until now, in fact, the court has been consistent with soft punishment. However, this time, it is necessary to establish a formula that drunk driving and avoiding drunk driving lead to heavier punishment. I hope that this drunk driving itself will be eradicated because it is well known.

[Anchor]
It is reported that Kim Ho-joong has not yet announced his appeal plan. I'll let you know again when I get further news.Let's stop here. I was with Jung Kyung-il, a transportation lawyer. Thank you, lawyer.

[Kyungil Jung]
Thank you.