Singer Kim Ho-jung released on parole after drunk-driving hit-and-run conviction

Singer Kim Ho-jung was released on parole Tuesday while serving a sentence for a drunk-driving hit-and-run.

Kim posted a message to his fan cafe that afternoon, saying he would "carry a deeper sense of responsibility, reflect on my actions, and serve out the remainder of my sentence."

Kim was sentenced to two years and six months in prison after driving drunk on May 9, 2024, crossing the center line in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, colliding with an oncoming taxi and fleeing the scene. He was also convicted of ordering his manager to falsely turn himself in to police on his behalf.

Kim had been due for release upon completion of his sentence in November, but he passed a parole review and returned to society five months ahead of schedule.

He left Somang Prison in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday morning.

That afternoon, Kim posted a handwritten letter titled "To my beloved family" on his fan cafe. "It took two years for me to write here again," he said. "Rather than feeling free or liberated from stepping outside the prison gates, I will carry a deeper sense of responsibility, reflect on my actions, and serve out the remainder of my sentence."

He added: "More than any words, I will clearly see what situation and circumstances I am in right now, and I will live without going astray."