| K-pop stars Taeyeon and Ravi denied their relationship, Sunday. Korea Times file |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Fans of K-pop stars Taeyeon and Ravi have taken to social media to express their outrage at a video allegedly invading the privacy of the two singers who have denied having romantic ties.
A reporter for a Korean media outlet ― who reported Sunday morning that Taeyeon and Ravi have been dating for a year ― unveiled a 4-minute clip titled, “Taeyeon, Ravi 2 nights and 3 days home date video” on her YouTube channel later the same day. The clip was uploaded a few hours after the two singers denied that any romantic relationship existed between them.
The video shows secretly filmed footage of Taeyeon and Ravi in the parking lots of Taeyeon's apartment and Ravi's home in Seoul. The reporter claimed the pair stayed together over the Christmas weekend from Dec. 25 to 27.
“I reported the video to YouTube over secret filming,” a fan commented on an internet community.
Another wrote: “Isn't this stalking? Can't the singers take legal action?”
| Kang Jin-seok, an entertainment lawyer at law firm Yulwon. Courtesy of Kang Jin-seok |
“Korea does not have a criminal law punishing someone for secretly taking a video, unless the content is sexually humiliating,” Kang said Monday. “But the singers can file a civil complaint against the reporter for allegedly intruding on their privacy. In that scenario, the reporter could claim that freedom of speech should be guaranteed for a journalist and that the public has a right to know. It is up to the court to decide whether she went too far, but I personally believe that her act can be seen as illegal ― she went to the singers' home, a very private place, to take her video.”
Kang added that in the event the singers did take the case to court and the court ruled in favor of the singers, “the reporter could be ordered to pay compensation and the amount could be as high as 10 million won ($9100), given that Taeyeon and Ravi are celebrities.”
On Sunday morning, the reporter ― citing an insider close to both Taeyeon and Ravi ― reported that the two met through a mutual friend and have been seeing each other. She insisted that Ravi picked up Taeyeon from her home and drove her to his house on Christmas day for a date. Photos of the pair at Taeyeon's apartment were also disclosed.
But the officials from Taeyeon's record label SM Entertainment and Ravi's agency GROOVL1N denied the two were in a relationship, saying they were close colleagues who have been working on music together.
Taeyeon, 31, debuted as the leader of Girls' Generation in 2007 and began her solo career with the album "I" in 2015. She released her fourth mini-album “What Do I Call You” on Dec. 15 and has been appearing on tvN's variety show "Amazing Saturday ― Doremi Market."
Ravi, 27, whose real name is Kim Won-sik, made his debut as a VIXX member in 2012 with the single "Super Hero." The group dropped several popular songs including "On and On" (2013) and "Shangri-La" (2017). Ravi began forging a solo career in 2017 with the mini-album “R.EAL1ZE.”