"If the agencies do not give sufficient care to their stars, including education and stress management, they will end up raising walking time bombs," said Kim Sung-soo, another industry commentator. Singer Jung Joon-young subsequently admitted he had secretly filmed himself having sex with women and sharing the videos without their knowledge or consent. The focus on finding the winning song and dance formula came at the cost of the performers' "moral education", said entertainment commentator Ha Jae-keun, adding that many companies covered up problems until it was too late. Industry commentators have taken aim at the business managers, notorious for demanding the strictest of training regimes and controlling every aspect of young stars' lives. K-pop had largely escaped scandals as the #MeToo movement ensnared political, sports and other figures. Lee and Jung were both members of online chat groups where secret sex tapes were shared, and men joked about drugging and raping women, according to the South Korean broadcaster SBS.
Jung's agency, MAKEUS Entertainment, has terminated his contract and he has been barred from leaving the country while police question him over suspicion he distributed the videos. Seungri, a member of the K-pop quintet Big Bang, announced his retirement this week, but denied allegations that he had procured prostitutes for potential foreign investors at nightclubs in the Gangnam district of Seoul.Īgence France-Presse contributed to this report.South Korean women destroy cosmetics and cut their hair short to push back against unrealistic beauty ideals. Police in Seoul said they would question him over the new allegations later this week. Jung was charged in 2016 with filming a partner during sex without her consent, but prosecutors dropped the case after the alleged victim withdrew her accusation. “This case just shows that male K-pop stars are no exception when it comes to being part of this very disturbing reality that exploits women,” said Bae Bok-ju, a women’s rights activist. The allegations against Jung and Seungri have rocked K-pop, whose global appeal generates billions of dollars for the South Korean economy. Last summer, tens of thousands of women held demonstrations in Seoul demanding that the police take tougher action against offenders. Molka - secretly filmed images of a sexual nature that often end up online – has reached epidemic proportions in South Korea. JYP Entertainment, meanwhile, denied rumours that a member of its girl group, TWICE, was among the women shown in the sex videos. “It is a groundless rumour,” it said, adding, “We’ll take all legal measures against those who are found to have committed unlawful acts.” The talent agency SM Entertainment dismissed speculation that one of its stars, a member of the boy band EXO, was part of the chatroom group. Jung was one of three male artists in the chatroom, where some members shared secretly filmed footage of a sexual nature of at least 10 women, according to broadcaster SBS. On Tuesday evening, police charged him with illegal filming and leaking visual material. On the 19th, SBS reporter Kang Kyung Joon appeared on SBS Radio's ' Lee Jae Ik's Political Show ' and discussed Jung Joon Young's five year prison sentence and his appeal to the Supreme Court for gang rape of several women and illegally filming. “Most of all, I kneel down to apologise to the women who appear in the videos and all those who might be disappointed and upset at this shocking incident.” Reporter that leaked Jung Joon Young's molka katalks is raising expectations with new revelations. “I filmed women without their consent and shared it in a chatroom, and while I was doing so I didn’t feel a great sense of guilt.” “I admit to all my crimes,” Jung, 30, said in a statement, according to Yonhap news agency. K-pop star Jung Joon-young (C) arrives for questioning at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul on March 14, 2019.