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K-Pop singer Roy Kim is latest to be caught up in sex scandal

To date, the vast bulk of the evidence in the developing scandal emerged from leaked chatrooms on the Korean app KakaoTalk

Roisin O'Connor
Music Correspondent
Friday 05 April 2019 08:04 BST
Roy Kim
Roy Kim (Getty)

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K-Pop singer Roy Kim is the latest singer to be implicated in the ongoing sex scandal involving allegations of misconduct by some of the industry’s biggest stars.

According to the English-language publication Korean Herald, the 25-year-old was arrested by Seoul Metropolitan police on Thursday 4 April and charged with sharing an obscene photo in a group chat.

His arrest comes just two weeks after fellow K-Pop singer Jung Joon-Young was arrested on allegations that he illegally shared sexually explicit footage of women, which had been taken without their knowledge or consent.

“We booked and notified Roy Kim to be investigated for charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilisation and Information Protection, etc by spreading illegally taken footage,” a representative for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said.

He added: “Singers Jeong Jinwood, Kangin, Lee Jong Hyun, Yong Junhyung and model Lee Chul Woo, who are being mentioned as participants of Jung Joon Young’s Kakao Talk chatroom, are still considered witnesses.”

Jung allegedly shared the footage in a group chat with friends and associates. He was reportedly discovered during a separate investigation into another K-Pop star, Seungri, over suspicions that he had been attempting to solicit prostitutes for potential business clients.

Seungri retired from the industry after being charged to protect the honour of his band, Bigbang, and talent agency YG Entertainment. He denies the charges against him.

Kim rose to prominence in 2012 after winning the fourth season of the South Korean singing competition Superstar K, which is where he befriended Jung.

To date, the vast bulk of the evidence in the developing scandal emerged from leaked chatrooms on the Korean app KakaoTalk. The chats were reportedly discovered by a technician on Jung’s phone after he sent it for repairs.

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According to E! News, Kim’s agency Stone Music Entertainment released a statement that read: “Roy Kim is currently studying in the United States, and is arranging his schedules so that he can fly back to Korea as soon as possible for the investigations.”

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