One singer is arrested and four apologise or retire over digital sex scandal involving some of South Korea’s biggest pop stars who shared footage of women that was ‘filmed without their consent’
- Jung Joon-young, 30, shared illicit sex videos through mobile chat rooms in 2015
- Apologised for ‘unforgivable crimes’ yesterday and was led away in handcuffs
- Last month, Seungri of BIGBANG stepped down from band after allegations
- Accused of paying for prostitutes for businessmen to drum up club investment
One K-pop star has been arrested and four others forced to apologise or retire after becoming embroiled in a digital sex scandal that has rocked South Korea’s entertainment industry.
Jung Joon-young was arrested yesterday, hours after he apologised for filming and distributing illicit sex videos without his partners’ consent.
The videos of at least 10 women were shared through mobile chat rooms in 2015 with recipients including fellow K-pop star Seungri of BIGBANG.
Joon-young, 30, appeared at a hearing yesterday and apologised for committing ‘unforgivable crimes’, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported.
‘I am sorry. I made a big and inexcusable mistake, and I admit my guilt,’ he said. ‘I will live my days repenting for the sins.’
South Korean K-pop star Jung Joon-young, pictured centre with two policemen, 30, has been arrested for filming and sharing illicit sex videos without his partners’ consent
Following the hearing, the 30-year-old singer-songwriter was led away in handcuffs and taken to a police station to await the court’s decision on the warrant.
In 2016, Jung was charged with filming a video with a sexual partner without her consent and knowledge, but prosecutors dropped the case for lack of evidence after she withdrew her accusation.
Lee Seung-hyun, who is better known by his stage name Seungri, was also forced to retire from K-pop last month.
He is suspected of paying for prostitutes for foreign businessmen to drum up investment in his business.
Seungri helped with publicity for the nightclub Burning Sun in Seoul’s posh Gangnam district until it closed down last month.
Some of the club’s staff have been accused of violence against customers and drug trafficking or drug use, reports CNN.
Seungri announced his decision to step away from the band on his Instagram page.
Fellow star Lee Seung-hyun, who is better known by his stage name Seungri, was also forced to retire from K-pop last month. He is accused of paying for prostitutes for foreign businessmen to drum up investment in a nightclub he worked for
He wrote at the time: ‘I think I’d better leave the entertainment industry at this moment.
‘I just cannot bear causing any further damage to people around me, while being hated and criticized by the public and being treated as a nation’s enemy during the investigation.’
The 28-year-old singer has denied wrongdoing.
Two other male singers have also quit after admitting they watched the illicit videos.
South Korea has been battling a growing epidemic of so-called ‘molka’, or spycam videos – mostly of women, secretly filmed by men in schools, toilets and offices.
‘Revenge porn’ – videos taken of sexual relations without the partner’s consent – is believed to be equally widespread.
Thousands of women protested in Seoul last year on several occasions against the videos as part of the country’s growing #MeToo movement.