"Former Sexual Offender Jung Joon-young's Close Friends Resuming Activities Ahead of His Release
Jung Joon-young was arrested and indicted in March 2019, following revelations of his involvement in two instances of group sexual assault on an intoxicated woman in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, in January 2016, and in Daegu in March of the same year. In addition to secretly filming sexual encounters and sharing them with numerous acquaintances in both group and private chat rooms (illegal distribution of filmed materials), Jung Joon-young faced charges.
In November 2019, Jung Joon-young was sentenced to six years in prison in the first trial but appealed the decision. In the second trial held in 2020, the appellate court reduced the sentence to five years, granting a one-year reduction.
Both Jung Joon-young and the prosecution expressed dissatisfaction with the second trial verdict. The Supreme Court, in its appellate review held in September 2020, upheld the five-year prison sentence, consistent with the second trial. As a result, Jung Joon-young concludes his imprisonment on March 20th."
▲ Group Sexual Assault Perpetrator, Choi Jong-hoon
Choi Jong-hoon recently opened a private channel on a paid fan communication platform, recruiting members and greeting them with, "It's been five years since I last greeted you. How have you been? I gained strength from each message. Thank you. I look forward to communicating a lot with you through this channel. I will show you everything and strive to create a bright future," he said.
Public sentiment remains cold. Understandably so, as Choi Jong-hoon is a sex offender charged with group sexual assault on a woman twice while intoxicated in 2016, along with Jung Joon-young. Choi Jong-hoon was sentenced to five years in prison in the first trial in November 2019 but had his sentence reduced to 2 years and 6 months in the appellate trial. After serving a prison term of 2 years and 6 months, he was released in November 2021.
After his release, it seemed he was focusing on religious activities with his mother, but eventually, he laid the groundwork for entertainment industry activities, causing many K-pop fans to furrow their brows.
▲ Burning Sun Scandal: Convicted on 9 Charges, Seungri
Seungri, formerly of the group Big Bang and a close friend of Jung Joon-young in the past, has been enjoying various events and entertainment in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Singapore, and Cambodia. In late 2018, Seungri resigned from the position of an executive director at the club Burning Sun amid a series of suspicions. In March 2019, with mounting controversies surrounding Burning Sun, he announced his departure from the entertainment industry.
In January 2020, Seungri was indicted on a total of 8 charges, including prostitution mediation, violation of the Act on the Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement), embezzlement in the line of duty, violations of the Food Sanitation Act, habitual gambling, and violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. While undergoing military trial after enlisting in March 2020, he faced additional allegations of special assault instruction. In August 2021, he was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in the first trial, including the new charge. Although he appealed, in May 2022, the Supreme Court upheld convictions on all 9 charges. Following the Supreme Court's guilty verdict, he was transferred to a disciplinary labor camp, served 1 year and 6 months, and was released in February of last year.
During the 25th trial held in July 2021, Seungri, unlike his fellow inmates Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon, who were serving time for sexual assault, firmly maintained that he had no connection to the sexual assault case. He claimed not to be a member of the infamous "Jung Joon-young KakaoTalk chatroom" at the center of the controversy but was part of a different group chatroom involving Jung Joon-young and others.
▲ Jung Joon-young's Hidden Camera Scandal Involvement, Yong Junhyung
Another close friend of Jung Joon-young, singer Yong Junhyung, received and shared secretly filmed sexual encounter videos taken by Jung Joon-young in a one-on-one chatroom in 2015, engaging in inappropriate conversations. After three years of controversy, in November 2022, Yong Junhyung resumed his activities by releasing the solo album 'LONER.'
Initially denying the allegations of receiving secretly filmed videos from Jung Joon-young, Yong Junhyung hinted at legal actions, but three days later, he reversed his position, staged a dramatic reversal, and issued an apology. At that time, Yong Junhyung, through his agency, stated, "In late 2015, after having drinks with Jung Joon-young, the next day through a one-on-one chatroom, I found out about the fact that an illicit video was taken. Subsequently, I saw the illicit video shared in the one-on-one chatroom and engaged in inappropriate conversations about it." As a result of this incident, he left Highlight (formerly BEAST), the group he was a part of at the time, in March 2019.
In a press conference for the release of his solo album in November 2022, Yong Junhyung, stated, "I was not a member of any 'group chatroom.' However, I am well aware that there were inappropriate aspects in the conversation at that time. I regret not correcting it immediately. I will strive to greet you only with positive news from now on."
On January 18, he publicly announced a romantic relationship by sharing a date photo with singer HyunA on his official account. On the 19th, through a paid fan community message, Yong Junhyung mentioned, "You might have been surprised by the sudden news. We are doing well, receiving positive energy from each other. I hope you watch over us kindly."
▲ Distribution of Obscene Materials: Singer Eddy Kim
Singer Eddy Kim (real name Kim Jung-hwan) is making a comeback after a five-year hiatus. Producer Yoon Jong-shin, who is affiliated with the same agency Mystic Story, supported Eddy Kim's comeback through his music project 'track by YOON,' collaborating with various artists to showcase a variety of music genres.
In March 2019, Eddy Kim was investigated by the police for violating the Information and Communication Network Act related to the distribution of obscene materials and was subsequently referred to the prosecution. The prosecution decided on a suspended indictment, taking into account Eddy Kim's deep reflection, stating that his act of distributing obscene materials was limited to a single instance.
Although Eddy Kim did not directly film or distribute illegal videos, he confirmed to have uploaded one image captured online, leading to a police investigation. In connection with this, Mystic Story, Eddy Kim's agency, officially announced in March 2020, "During the police investigation, it was confirmed that the chatroom Eddy Kim was part of was unrelated to the chatroom where illegal filming materials were shared (by figures like Jung Joon-young), and it was a separate chatroom formed as a hobby."
The agency further stated, "Regardless of the content, Eddy Kim acknowledges that such behavior was reckless and expresses deep reflection. We sincerely apologize to those who may be disappointed. In the future, Eddy Kim will make efforts to act with a heavy sense of responsibility and prudence. We apologize once again for causing concern."
theqoo
-Why are these dirty guys crawling out again?
-Where are they coming out? Dirty sex offenders. What's Yoon Jong-shin doing? Eddy Kim is hopeless.
-It's really getting disgusting that they're slowly coming out.
-I just hope they all disappear.
-It makes me want to vomit for real.
-Disgusting.
-I had no idea Eddy Kim was involved here... I've been listening to his songs a lot, thoughㅠㅠ
-Didn't Eddy Kim deny all the allegations though?
-What the f*ck, Yoon Jong-shin?
-What about Zico?ㅎ
-These guys are no better than cockroaches...
-Whoa... I had no idea Eddy Kim was also involved in this scandal... Hul..ㅡㅡ
-Seungri was convicted on 9 charges but only served 1 year and 6 months???
