Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| K-pop band FT Island member Choi Jong-hoon answers reporters' questions while presenting himself at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to be questioned over his alleged sharing in mobile chatrooms of spycam videos of him having sex with various women, March 16. / Yonhap |
First complaint made by victim since scandal broke out
By Lee Suh-yoon
An alleged victim of sex and drug crimes committed by K-pop stars has filed a complaint against singer Jung Joon-young and four other members of an exclusive group chat room, Friday, saying they raped her and filmed the incident while she was passed out at a party in 2016.
This is the first time an alleged victim of the illegal filming of women by the men has come forward since the scandal broke earlier this year.
In an interview with broadcaster SBS, Thursday, the woman said she found evidence of the rape in the mobile group chat room that included singer Jung and FT Island member Choi Jong-hoon, former employees of the nightclub Burning Sun and YG Entertainment, and a businessman.
"After seeing the media reports about these group chats, I realized they were not really my friends. They treated me like a toy," the woman told SBS after deciding to request a police investigation. "It was humiliating and difficult. I hope they get the punishment they deserve."
The woman said she went to a hotel suite with the members of the group chat for a round of drinks after a friendly gathering in March 2016. She said she passed out after the first drink in the room, and woke up the next morning naked. Choi was next to her "laughing" as he asked her if she remembered anything that happened. Others who were in the room made sexual jokes before giving her clothes black. No one gave her an explanation, according to the woman.
She did not know what happened at the time, but recent media reports on the scandal made her suspect that she may have been drugged and raped. She contacted a lawyer ― who blew the whistle on the group chat room and reported it to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission ― and he confirmed that Choi and the others shared one audio file and six photos recording the assault that night.
Police said they would question the woman first and then summon the men who were allegedly at the scene of attack, including Jung and Choi.
In response to the allegations, Choi's lawyers confirmed he was at the gathering that day, but denied there was any sexual interaction between him and the victim.
A host of K-pop stars have been accused of participating in mobile group chats that were used to share sexually-explicit videos of women that had been taken without their knowledge or consent.
