The Seoul Central District Court handed out the decision on May 13 with Kim in attendance.
The case stemmed from a traffic incident that occurred in the early morning of Jan. 8. Kim was driving his Mercedes Benz in Gangnam, Seoul, when he crossed the centerline and hit an SUV.
Instead of helping the victims, the singer drove away and surrendered hours later. The driver and two passengers in the SUV suffered injuries that required medical treatment for two weeks.
During a trial last April 29, Kim admitted to the charges and expressed his deep regret over the incident.
He issued a public apology, saying that he fled the scene of the crime because he panicked.
In making the decision, the judge weighed Kim’s being a first-time offender and that he surrendered. However, the court said Kim’s fleeing the crime scene was also considered.
Several Korean celebrities have been involved in hit-and-run incidents and most of them fled the crime scene.
The hit-and-run case of Korean actress Han Ye Seul is still not over and the police are analyzing the video footage of the incident.
Last May 2, Han was driving her car and was entering the parking lot of her apartment building when he hit a man on the backside.
The man went to the police and charged the actress with hit-and-run. He also presented a medical certificate to show that he was required to undergo two weeks of treatment due to a bruise on his rear.
The main issue on the case is whether Han tried to escape the incident. The actress maintained that while she did not get down from her car, she apologized to the victim, a claim denied by the man.
Last January, Korean drama actress Kim Ji Soo was also found guilty of hit-and-run and was fined 10 million won (P397,553). She was charged following an incident in October last year where she hit a taxi and then fled.
Hallyu actor Kwon Sang Woo of the popular drama series “Stairway to Heaven” was fined 7 million won (about P277,753) in July last year after he crashed his car into vehicles in Seoul. He also fled the scene of the crime and surrendered two days later.
0 comments