2 K-Pop Stars Sentenced to Prison for Multiple Rapes, Which 1 of Them Filmed

Photo: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Two prominent K-pop stars were convicted of rape and sentenced to prison time for the crimes, which one of them recorded and shared online, multiple outlets report.

On Friday, singers Jung Joon-young, 30, and Choi Jong-hoon, 29, were found guilty of raping drunk women who were unable to consent, with the former making videos of the sex acts that were shared on the internet. A Seoul, South Korea, district court sentenced Jung to six years in prison and Choi to five years.

“The accused perpetrated sexual crimes against multiple women, degrading women and treating them as mere tools of sexual pleasure,” the judge said in his verdict, according toThe New York Times. “It’s hard to fathom the pain the victims must have​ suffered.”

The pair, according to theTimes, have one week to appeal the charges, which pertain to assaults that happened in 2016. Courts also ruled that both men must complete 80 hours of sexual violence treatment programs,CNNreports.

Jung, who quit the music industry back in March when news of the accusations broke, said in his final testimony that he is remorseful for his actions.

“I deeply regret my foolishness and I feel great remorse,” he said, according toBBC News. “From now on, I shall only … live in remorse.”

Arrested in March, Jung was one of five Korean pop music performers under investigation for a larger video sex scandal, the so-called Burning Sun Scandal, named after a nightclub in which the sex acts took place. The investigation involved an online group chat where the artists allegedly shared explicit video of at least 10 women engaging in sex acts who allegedly either were unaware or did not consent to being filmed, theSouth China Morning Postreported.

Jung Joon-young.Ilgan Sports/Multi-Bits via Getty Images

Jung first broke onto the scene in 2012 on South Korean channel Mnet’s talent show series,Superstar K4. Though the performer finished in third place, he went on host several television and radio shows before transitioning into a solo music career.

With his debut album in 2013, Jung earned the award for Best New Male Solo Artist of the Year at South Korea’s annual Gaon Chart K-pop Awards. His last albumThe First Personwas released in 2017.

K-pop — which has produced a plethora of male idols and boy bands, includingBTS(who was not involved with the sex scandal) — has become a global phenomenon in recent years. In 2017, the industry was worth $4.7 billion, according toSCMP. BTS, alone, was worth more than $3.6 billion to South Korea’s economy each year,SCMPreported in December.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go toonline.rainn.org.

source: people.com