Kim Ho-joong

Kim Ho-joong (born October 2, 1991) is a South Korean classical crossover singer. He came to prominence after a fourth-place finish in TV Chosun show Mr. Trot. During his military service, he served as a public service worker and was discharged on June 9, 2022.

Philanthropy
On March 22, 2022, Kim donated 500 pieces of Geumsan Aesthetic Red Ginseng products (worth 67.5 million won) to Sky Garden under the Welfare Foundation of Love, a social welfare company.

On February 23, 2023, Kim donated 50 million won to help in the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake through UNICEF Korea Committee.

2020: Illegal gambling
On August 20, 2020, Kim admitted to allegations of participating in illegal sports betting. He made several bets of amounts ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 won using a former manager's acquaintance's account on illegal websites. Upon police investigation, he was granted a suspended prosecution.

2021: Battery allegations
On July 20, 2021, Seoul Gangnam Police Station announced their plans for investigations into Kim and officials from a construction company after the individuals were involved in a fight outside Kim's house the night before. Following both parties' submissions of applications for non-punishment, the police closed the investigation on August 10 with neither party being prosecuted.

2024: DUI hit-and-run
On May 9, 2024, Kim crashed his vehicle into a stationary taxi in Gangnam. In a phone call, Kim immediately informed his manager of the accident, admitting to the manager that he had been under the influence. Kim then requested his manager turn himself in for the crime in his stead. The manager, dressed as Kim, took responsibility for the crash for the first 17 hours after it, while Kim hid at a hotel in Gyeonggi with another manager. On May 17, police announced investigations into Kim for charges of hit-and-run and suspected driving under the influence after a May 16 raid on his and the head of his entertainment agency, Lee Kwang-deuk's, homes and offices. On May 22, police charged Kim with death and injury due to dangerous driving and requested arrest warrants for Kim, Lee, as well as an agency director, Jeon, who claimed to have swallowed Kim's car's black box memory card. The warrants for Kim, Lee, and Jeon were approved on May 24 by Seoul Central District Court due to risks of evidence tampering, and the trio were detained at Gangnam Police Station for further investigation.

Ambassadorship

 * First Asian Ambassador to the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (2022)