Former Sinawe vocalist Kim Bada faces a possible three-year prison sentence after prosecutors sought the term at his trial over a repeat marijuana offense, according to NewsEn.
The hearing took place on October 28 at the Chuncheon District Court’s Sokcho Branch, where Judge Joo Cheol-hyun presided over the first trial in the case, which also served as the closing hearing. Prosecutors asked the court to sentence Kim to three years in prison, along with the confiscation of seized items and a 500,000 won surcharge.
Kim is charged with violating the Narcotics Control Act over marijuana use. Prosecutors noted that while Kim has admitted to the charges, he reoffended despite having a prior conviction for the same type of offense. “Although the defendant is confessing, he reoffended after a previous conviction for the same offense,” prosecutors said, according to the report.
Kim’s defense team admitted all of the charges but asked the court for leniency. His lawyer pointed to Kim’s voluntary attendance at meetings for people recovering from drug addiction as evidence of his efforts to break away from drugs, and also asked the court to consider the livelihood and care of his elderly parents.
In his final statement, Kim said he deeply regretted what he described as his careless attitude toward marijuana. “I deeply regret and reflect on the careless attitude I had toward marijuana, and I pledge with a heart that feels like coughing up blood that I will never again touch illegal marijuana,” he told the court. He added that he had come to realize marijuana harmed not only his body and mind but also the people he loves, and he pleaded for a chance to live properly.
Kim previously faced a marijuana charge in 2010. In the current case, police obtained an arrest warrant in March and tracked him for two months before arresting him at a location in Sokcho. The case marks a return to the headlines for a singer whose career dates back to his time as the vocalist of Sinawe, one of South Korea’s long-running rock bands.
In September, Kim signaled an intention to return to music, writing on social media that what he could do was show himself slowly through his actions, his life, and his music rather than through words alone. With closing arguments now concluded, the case awaits the court’s ruling.
