Kim Bada, the former vocalist of the rock band Sinawe, faced a final hearing on 28 October 2026 before Criminal Division 1 at the Sokcho Branch of the Chuncheon District Court on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act for cannabis.[1][2] Prosecutors sought a three-year prison term, forfeiture of seized items and an additional collection of 500,000 won.[1][2][3] The court set sentencing for 2 p.m. on 25 November.[1][2]
Police arrested the 54-year-old singer, whose legal name is Kim Jung-nam, in March 2026 on suspicion of possessing and smoking cannabis in downtown Sokcho on 8 March.[1][2] The court rejected a detention warrant at the time, finding insufficient risk of flight or destruction of evidence.[2][3] Kim admitted all the charges during police questioning.[1]
A repeat case
Kim told the court he smoked cannabis through a momentary lapse in judgment and deeply regretted his careless attitude toward the drug.[1][2][3] He said attending a drug-addiction support group taught him again how drugs damage his body and the people who love him, and that he had vowed never to touch illegal cannabis again.[1][2] His lawyer said Kim smokes only a small amount, never distributed it to others, attends a substance-addiction support group voluntarily and receives hospital treatment for loneliness, self-reproach and depressive symptoms after losing contact with family.[1]
Both accounts describe Kim as a repeat offender who was sentenced in 2010 to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for buying cannabis through an acquaintance and smoking it with them.[1][2] He released a handwritten apology in September 2026 saying he had reflected with deep remorse and would show change through future actions and music rather than words.[1][2]
