The prostitution scandal involving former THE BOYZ member Ju Haknyeon finally has a new development, about a year after the controversy first surfaced.
According to news reports on the 2nd, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Reporter A without detention last month on charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
Reporter A is accused of posting an online article in June of last year claiming that “Ju Haknyeon engaged in prostitution with former Japanese AV actress Asuka Kirara at a bar in Tokyo, Japan.”
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Earlier, Ju Haknyeon’s side filed a complaint with the police in June last year, stating that the report was false. Subsequently, the police launched an investigation and transferred the case to the prosecution in March this year.
During the investigation, Reporter A reportedly stated that he did not know the prostitution allegations were false.
However, after comprehensively reviewing statements from representatives of ONE HUNDRED, materials from Ju Haknyeon’s side, and recorded conversations among related parties, the prosecution judged that defamation by dissemination of false facts was established.
Notably, while Reporter A cited “multiple entertainment industry insiders” as a basis for the prostitution allegations in the article, he failed to present objective evidence or physical proof beyond rumors during the police investigation.
Furthermore, the article included claims that “Ju Haknyeon admitted to prostitution after confirming specific evidence presented by his agency,” but investigations of ONE HUNDRED’s representatives found this to be untrue.
Meanwhile, Ju Haknyeon was also reported by a third party for violating the Prostitution Punishment Act in connection with these allegations, but the police decided not to prosecute in July last year, citing insufficient evidence to support the charges.
Since then, Ju Haknyeon personally shared proof of himself attending the final concert of THE BOYZ in April, engaging with fans.
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