Chinese pop star detained on suspicion of rape
Beijing police say Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu has been detained on suspicion of rape
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu has been detained by Beijing police on suspicion of rape, police announced Saturday, following an accusation the former member of the Korean boy band EXO lured young women into sexual relationships.
Wu, 30, earlier was accused by a teenager of having sex with her while she was drunk. Wu denied the accusation.
The teenager said seven other women contacted her to say Wu seduced them with promises of jobs and other opportunities. She said some were under 18 but gave no indication whether they were younger than China's age of consent of 14.
Wu has been “criminally detained" on suspicion of rape "in response to relevant information reported on the internet" including that he “repeatedly lured young women to have sexual relations,” the police statement said. It gave no other details.
The teenager publicized her accusations on social media and later in an interview with internet portal NetEase. A day after that interview appeared, at least 10 brands including Porsche and Louis Vuitton broke off endorsement and other deals with Wu.
“There was no ‘groupie sex’! There was no ‘underage’!” Wu wrote last month on his social media account. “If there were this kind of thing, please everyone relax, I would put myself in jail!”
The teenager and Wu both said they had asked authorities to investigate.
Saturday's statement didn't mention that case and gave no information about the status of that investigation.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.