WARNING: This article discusses sexual assault and rape.
In a high-profile ruling from the South Korean courts (as per The Guardian), K-pop stars Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon have been sentenced to six and five years in prison respectively over charges of gang rape.
Both Jung Joon-young, a solo artist, and Choi Jong-hoon, a former member of the boy band FT Island, were found guilty of gang-raping two different victims on two occasions in 2016. Additionally, Jung was also also convicted of filming himself having sex with other women without their knowledge and subsequently sharing the footage without their consent.
According to the BBC, the pair will also have to do 80 hours of sexual violence treatment courses and are barred from ever working with children.
The verdict handed down by the Seoul Central District Court rejected the pair’s claim that the sexual encounters were consensual, stating (via Yahoo) that:
“Jung and Choi took part in gang rape of victims who were intoxicated and unable to resist.
“It is hard to fathom the extent of suffering the victims must have gone through.”
The verdict stated that the pair perceived the victims only as “sexual objects” to be exploited and declared “They should assume social responsibility in proportion to their fame and wealth.”
Needless to say that the conviction ruling of both Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon caused ripples among K-pop fans due to the high-profile nature of the case. However the reaction of some leaves much to be desired as some decided to get into petty online spats or just straight up trolling with each other rather than show respect to the victims.
But perhaps the most egregious comments are the ones unironically trying to clarify that Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon are actually K-rock stars rather than K-pop and folks should get that straightened out.
Yes, because clarifying the music genre is the most pressing issue in this case.
In a conservative country like South Korea, the minimum sentence for rape is three years. However, many people commented on the duration of the sentences for Choi and Jung and claimed the penalties are too lenient when compared to what the victims faced.
The sentencing of Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon is the latest incident in what’s been one of the biggest sex scandals in recent South Korean and K-pop memory, colloquially named the Burning Sun scandal.
Both Jung and Choi were reportedly only caught when Korean authorities were investigating a separate instance of illegal activity involving former Big Bang member, Seungri.
If you, or anyone you know needs someone to talk to, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.