Embattled popera star Kim Ho-joong requested the court Thursday to postpone its hearing scheduled to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant for him on reckless driving charges, but the court refused.

The previous day, prosecutors applied for an arrest warrant for Kim on charges of ramming into a stationary taxi in the opposite lane with his vehicle late on the night of May 9 in Seoul’s southern Gangnam district while driving drunk. He then allegedly left the scene without taking post-accident measures.

The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to convene a hearing on Friday to decide whether to grant the warrant request for the singer.

According to sources familiar with the case, Kim’s lawyer filed a request with the court to delay the planned hearing, but the court rejected the plea.

The request apparently comes ahead of his two-day concert scheduled from Thursday to Friday. If the hearing takes place on Friday noon as planned, he would be held in custody until the court’s final decision, makin
g it impossible for him to take the stage.

Think Entertainment, Kim’s agency, has expressed its intention to proceed with the Thursday-Friday concert despite the ongoing investigation.

The 33-year-old singer rose to stardom after appearing on the audition show “Mr. Trot.”

He came under public fury after it was reported that his manager initially lied to the police that he was behind the wheel at the time of the accident and that Kim appeared before the police 17 hours after the accident, apparently to evade a blood alcohol test.

Arrest warrants have also been sought for Lee Kwang-deuk, the head of Kim’s management agency, and another agency official on charges of instigating Kim’s flight from the accident site or destroying evidence.