▲ A police official elaborates on the methods of attending a police questioning after popera singer Kim Ho-joong appeared before police through an underground parking lot on May 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

popera singer-questioning

Popera singer Kim Ho-joong attends police questioning over DUI hit-and-run

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- Renowned popera singer Kim Ho-joong appeared before police for questioning Tuesday over suspicions that he rammed into a stationary taxi and fled the scene while driving under the influence, officials said.

The 33-year-old singer, who rose to stardom after appearing on the audition show "Mr. Trot," is suspected of crashing into the taxi with his vehicle late on the night of May 9 in Seoul's southern Gangnam district and leaving the scene without taking after-accident measures.

Kim had denied driving drunk, but ultimately admitted to the suspicions Sunday, 10 days after the crash.

On Tuesday, Kim presented himself at Seoul Gangnam Police Station for questioning around 2 p.m. He entered the police station through an underground parking lot and could not be reached by the press for comment.

"All newly built police stations allow suspects to come in for questioning through an underground path," a police official said, adding no favors were given to the singer, nor did he particularly ask for any.

Police planned to ask Kim how much he drank, how he ended up behind the wheel and the extent of his alleged involvement in the attempt to cover up his drunk driving.

Hours after the crash, Kim's manager lied to police that he was behind the wheel at the time of the accident, but Kim eventually acknowledged his responsibility the next day during police questioning.

Meanwhile, the police are looking into the whereabouts of Kim and his agency officials before and after the accident, but they have failed to obtain any of the three dashcam memory cards used by Kim.

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