An unnamed K-Pop boy band member has been charged with raping a fellow group member

An unnamed K-Pop boy band member has been charged with raping a fellow group member. 

The alleged assailant reportedly left the group back in 2021.

According to a Seoul Shinmun report, the male idol sexually molested his member at least three times from 2017 to 2021. The report states that the alleged male idol has admitted to most of the charges. However, when asked about the charges, the idol stated he didn’t remember.

A former member of a six-person K-pop boy band was indicted on charges of forcibly molesting and sexually assaulting a fellow group member over the course of four years, a South Korean media outlet reported on Monday.

The former group member, who was not named, was referred to trial in January.

He has been accused of sexually assaulting the victim at least three times from 2017 to 2021 in their dorms and practice room. According to reports, on March 29, prosecutors demanded that a former idol member be sentenced to three years in prison, have his identity revealed, be forced to undergo sexual education training, and have restrictions placed on his work for five years.

According to reports, the alleged victim reported the crime to Gangnam Police in 2021, and Seoul’s Central Prosecutors then indicted the alleged perpetrator in January of last year. The alleged perpetrator has since left the team for personal reasons. When reached for a statement, the alleged group’s label stated they’d release a statement later.

The charges against the suspect include “imitative rape”, which under South Korean law is defined as inserting genitals, a body part or instrument into “another’s bodily part (excluding a genital organ)”.

The offence is punishable by imprisonment of at least two years.

The defendant is reported to have admitted to most of the charges, while claiming he does not recall some of the charges because he was inebriated at the time.

Prosecutors requested the defendant be sentenced to three years in prison at the final hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on March 29.mm

Experts point out that the incident was aided by blind spots in the K-pop industry, where young trainees are left unprotected while spending long hours practising in confined spaces.

As the agency is considered neither an employment nor educational institution, it holds no responsibility for prevention or protection against sex crimes, which leaves young trainees vulnerable. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK.