Singer Jung Joon-young arrives at a court in Seoul, March 21, 2019. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon

Singer Jung Joon-young, convicted of rape and filming and distributing multiple sex videos taped without consent, has been released after serving a five-year prison sentence.

Jung was released from a prison in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, early Tuesday morning, Korean news outlet News1 said.

Once a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, he was found guilty in 2019 by a lower court for his involvement in filming sexual encounters and distributing the videos online and raping a woman in Daegu in 2016.

An appeals court upheld the guilty verdict and the five-year sentence, along with a mandatory education program on sexual crimes, which the Supreme Court reaffirmed in 2020.

Having gained fame through his participation in the televised singing contest, Super Star K4, in 2012, Jung quickly rose to stardom. Yet, his career took a turn due to his legal troubles.

It is not certain whether he will resume activities as a singer.