Prosecutors have rejected an arrest warrant request for the brother of a famous K-pop girl group member, who faces allegations of sexually assaulting a female internet broadcast jockey (BJ).
According to legal sources on Tuesday, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office the previous day rejected the arrest warrant requested by Seoul Gangnam Police Station for Kim, a man in his 30s. Police had applied charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, but prosecutors reportedly determined that the allegations had not been sufficiently substantiated.
Kim was arrested at the scene on charges of attempting inappropriate physical contact with the victim, identified as A, after taking her home following drinks at a restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, on the evening of the 15th, despite having promised not to engage in any sexual contact.
Kim, known to be the brother of a famous girl group member, reportedly met the victim after purchasing a "meal date ticket" from A two days before the incident through the online broadcasting platform SOOP, formerly known as AfreecaTV.
At the time of the incident, when Kim attempted inappropriate physical contact, A felt threatened and escaped to the bathroom to call an acquaintance for help. Police who arrived after receiving the report arrested Kim at the scene. During police questioning, Kim reportedly pushed back against the allegations, claiming there had been no coercion, saying, "I may have touched her, but it makes no sense to call it molestation."
Separately, a woman identified as B, claiming to be Kim's wife, recently posted allegations that she had suffered domestic violence at his hands. Through her personal account, B claimed, "Two weeks after we registered our marriage, (Kim's) beatings and severe verbal abuse began," alleging that illegal filming and severe mistreatment followed. Whether B's claims are true has yet to be verified.
The Kim case is also expected to be featured on SBS's "Unanswered Questions Y." On Tuesday, the program posted on its official social media account, "We are awaiting tips from those who know well about the brother of a famous celebrity who is accused of sexually harassing a female internet broadcast jockey (BJ)."
