On 12th August, SHINee’s Onew was accused of sexual harassing a woman at a club in Gangnam at around 7:10 am KST. The victim claimed that the star touched a part of her body 3 times while she was dancing on a platform next to him.
In a statement, SM Entertainment said that Onew, who went to the club to congratulate a friend who made his debut as a DJ, unintentionally came into physical contact with those around him due to his intoxicated state. Although the company revealed that the victim dropped all charges against the idol member, police will forward the case to prosecution for indictment without detention.
A police representative commented, “The victim has received additional damage as her personal information has been revealed because of press coverage. She signed the form to drop charges due to SM’s request, but she testified that there is no change in the fact that the sexual harassment occurred.”
According to Soompi, the report was lodged by an acquaintance of the victim. When the police arrived at the scene of the crime, they arrested Onew and investigated him for 5 hours. He admitted that he does not remember anything because he was intoxicated. A witness also claimed that the artiste appeared to be grabbing the victim’s leg as support because he seemed too drunk to stand properly.
Moreover, Onew and the victim were not captured on the CCTV as they were in a blind spot. However, the police judged the claims by the woman and witnesses as credible because their description matched with the scenes captured on the CCTV.
In other news, netizens have requested JTBC to drop Onew from its upcoming K-Drama, “Youth Generation 2”, following his sexual assault case. The producers of the drama, which is set to air on 25th August, responded, “We have not discussed anything related to Onew and him resigning from the drama.”
What are your thoughts on Onew’s controversy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources: All Kpop, Soompi, Asian Junkie.
