Police raid popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house over hit-and-run suspicions

Police raided famous popera singer Kim Ho-joong's house in Seoul on Thursday over suspicions that he caused a hit-and-run accident while drunk driving last week, officials said.

Investigators from Seoul Gangnam Police Station searched Kim's house as well as the home and office of the head of Think Entertainment, an agency representing Kim, to figure out the whereabouts of Kim and his manager following the incident.

Kim is suspected of fleeing after hitting a taxi while drunk driving in Gangnam district last Thursday night.

Around three hours after the accident, Kim's manager visited a police station and said he caused the accident, but the 33-year-old singer reportedly came to the police about 17 hours later and confessed he had driven the car.

Earlier in the day, the head of the singer's agency said he ordered Kim's manager to make false testimony and Kim visited a bar before the accident but was not under the influence of alcohol.

Kim rose to stardom after finishing fourth in the finals of TV Chosun's hit audition show, "Mr. Trot," in 2020. Kim, once an aspiring opera singer, earned the nickname "Tvarotti," which is the combination of the word "trot" and the name of legendary Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti.