Trot singer Kim Ho-joong to be released on parole Tuesday

Trot singer Kim Ho-joong, 35, who is serving a prison sentence for a drunk-driving hit-and-run, has passed a Ministry of Justice parole review and is set to be released Tuesday.

According to entertainment industry sources, Kim is expected to walk free five months ahead of his full sentence expiration. He faces charges under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, including dangerous driving causing injury and fleeing the scene, as well as drunk driving, failure to take post-accident measures under the Road Traffic Act, and inducing another person to obstruct a criminal investigation.

Kim was detained in May 2024 and held at Seoul Detention Center before being transferred to Somang Prison in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, in August last year.

He was deemed ineligible during a parole review at the end of last year, but authorities recognized his exemplary conduct during incarceration and reconsidered him this time.

Correctional facilities may consider inmates for parole after they have served one-third of their sentence, weighing factors including the nature of the offense, behavior during imprisonment, rehabilitation progress and the likelihood of reoffending.

Kim was sentenced to two years and six months in prison after hitting another vehicle while driving drunk in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on May 9, 2024, and fleeing the scene without taking any measures. He also faces charges of instructing an agency employee to make a false confession, claiming the employee had been the one driving.

Both the first and second trials handed down a sentence of two years and six months. His full sentence would have expired Nov. 24. He has now served approximately 80 percent of his term.

Upon release, Kim will be placed under probation for the duration of his parole period. He must obtain official approval from authorities before changing his place of residence or traveling abroad.

Kim is known as the real-life inspiration behind "My Paparotti" (2013), a film based on the true story of a man who went from being a gang member to an opera singer. He made his debut as a trot singer after winning a trot music competition on a general programming cable channel.

김지선 “복근으로 月 2억 수입…내 삶 없어 우울했다”

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