On January 19 the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor's Office reported that singer and actor Kim Hyun Joong has to pay a $5,000 fine for physically harming his ex-girlfriend.

The charges date back to 2014, when a woman claiming to be Kim Hyun Joong's girlfriend accused him of multiple incidents of mental and physical abuse. As the case was reported to the police, both the singer and his girlfriend were questioned. At the time the singer admitted that the couple had one fight that got physical but he denied any subsequent fights or abuse.

The girlfriend, whom the Korea Times identified as being named Choi, asked Kim to publicly apologize for the incidents. Her legal team said that if she considered his apology to be sincere she might drop the charges.

His apology was reported in The Korea Times.

"I′m embarrassed at myself for doing something that a man should never do," he said in his apology. "Since this incident occurred entirely because of my mistakes, there is no reason for her to be blamed. I want to also say sorry to her family and friends. More than anything, I hope she will accept my apology and forgive me. As a result of this incident, I'll work harder to become a better and healthier person."

The apology did not address his girlfriend's claim that there were multiple incidents of assault. But he did apologize.

"It is exceptional that a celebrity admits to the allegations after being charged," said Sun Jong Mun, Choi's lawyer. "

According to MyDaily, Kim Hyun Joong met with Choi and apologized again in person. She felt that he was sincere and accepted his apology, withdrawing the charges. However, the police could not ignore the evidence of Choi's physical injuries, which included bruises and broken ribs.

When his legal team appeared in court, they repeated the claim that the injuries happened while Kim was demonstrating some martial arts moves. But however they happened, the prosecution felt that Kim should be held responsible.

"While Kim claimed that he had no intention of hurting her, the damage from the attack was clear," said the prosecutors.

The prosecution did ask the court to consider Kim's letter of apology when making their decision. He was fined $5,000. Kim Hyun Joong, whose last small screen appearance was in the drama, "Inspiring Generation," has not worked in Korea since the charges were filed. He is working on a Japanese album.

What do you think of the court's decision? Should Kim have been fined at all? Was a fine enough?