Former K-Pop Idol Released From Prison Got Caught Committing The Same Crime Days Later

K-Pop co-ed groups aren’t nearly as common as girl groups and boy groups, but veteran fans might remember Coed School. This ten-member group, which consisted of two subunits (SPEED and F-veDolls), debuted in 2010 and disbanded three years later.

One former member is Cha Joo Hyuk, then known by his stage name Kangho. He left Coed School sometime before SPEED’s 2012 debut, following sexual assault rumors. After leaving the group, Cha pursued a short-lived acting career.

In 2016, Cha was prosecuted on charges of violation of the Narcotics Control Act and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison. He was prosecuted for smoking/taking marijuana, ketamine, and ecstasy thirteen times in Korea and the Netherlands, smuggling ketamine, and for introducing his acquaintance to a marijuana seller. He was released on December 14, 2018, after fulfilling his sentence.

Cha took and smoked various types of drugs including psychoactive drugs and marijuana. Considering the fact that he committed the offense numerous times, we suspect that he may be addicted. It does seem like he has made an effort to receive treatment. According to the ruling of the Justice Department, we believe it may be better to keep Cha from having access to any drugs for a certain period of time.

ㅡ Detective in charge (September 2017)

Just eleven days after his release, police were called to a Seocho apartment building at 4 AM. A neighbor and security guard had reported Cha for disorderly conduct; he had mistaken another apartment for his own and refused to leave. When police arrived, Cha resisted and threw excessive insults at the police. He was arrested and brought to Seocho Police Station.

During investigations, the police discovered Cha’s criminal record and conducted a drug test. The test results were positive. In addition to his drug crimes, Cha was charged with hitting and injuring three pedestrians while driving while drunk on October 30, 2016.