<figure id="attachment_334554" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-334554"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7fffd51f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/10/d2a09418ce7ea7d6bba1efd35b46e748.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-334554" class="wp-caption-text">Himchan has been charged for the third time in an obscenity case (PHOTO: Keizo Mori/Afro)</figcaption></figure>
<p>South Korea&#8217;s top idol has been given a heavy sentence.</p>
<p>At a trial held on January 16 in Seoul&#8217;s Western District Court, prosecutors sought seven years in prison for violating the Special Act on Punishment of Rape and Sexual <span class="s1">Assault</span> Crimes. Himchan has been charged with three indecent assaults, including one during his trial. On the day of the trial, Himchan, who is currently in prison, appeared in court wearing a blue prison uniform and apologized to the victims, saying, &#8220;I apologize to the victims who are hurting and suffering.</p>
<p>In an article distributed last October 4, FRIDAY Digital reported in detail on the incident caused by Himchan, which resulted in the unusual postponement of the start of his trial. We would like to recount the troubles that led to the loss of trust and popularity of a top idol (some parts of the article have been corrected).</p>
<h2>Why was the start of the trial delayed?</h2>
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<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> On September 25 last year, the trial of the indecent assault case in which Himchan was accused finally began.</span><span class="s1"> The original trial date was September 6, but there was a special reason for the nearly three-week delay.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="strongInContent"><span class="s1"> Himchan has been indicted in several indecency cases, and during the trial of the second indecency case, it was discovered that he had been indicted for the third case of trouble. Himchan requested that the trials of the second and third cases be held together, which the court accepted, and the trial (for the second case) was postponed.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> B.A.P.&#8221; is a famous idol group in Japan. Himchan also has many fans at home and abroad.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="strongInContent"><span class="s1"> Since their debut in January 2012, &#8220;B.A.P.&#8221; has been a popular group not only in Korea but also in the U.S., where they have ranked No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. Among them, Himchan is known as one of the elite.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="strongInContent"><span class="s1"> He is a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts and Sciences, a very difficult university. He specializes in traditional Korean music and has been featured in textbooks. He is also known for his love of cooking and was often reported in the media cooking meals. He is fluent in Japanese and frequently tours Japan and visits Japan.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> What kind of indecent cases have been discovered against former top idols one after another?</span></p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="strongInContent"><span class="s1">&#8220;The first trouble happened in the summer of &#8217;18. At a pension in the city of Namyangju in northern South Korea, he allegedly touched a woman who refused to &#8216; at a pension in the city of South Yangju in northern South Korea. Himchan denied the charges at the first trial, but at the appeal trial he turned around and admitted to the charges and submitted a letter of remorse, saying, &#8220;I will compensate you as much as I can. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison and ordered to complete a sexual assault treatment program, which he is currently serving.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="strongInContent"><span class="s1"> The second incident occurred in April &#8217;22 at a restaurant in Hannam-dong, downtown Seoul. Himchan sexually assaulted two women who were eating together on the stairs outside the restaurant. The women filed a police report. Himchan will pay about 1 million yen to each of them and is seeking a settlement,&#8221; said a reporter for a sports newspaper.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> The details of the third case of indecent assault have not been disclosed, but it is alleged that he sexually harassed a young woman in the Eunpyeong district in northwestern Seoul.</span></p>
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<p class="p3"><span class="strongInContent"><span class="s1"> In both cases, Himchan has expressed remorse, but after three indecent assaults, it is only natural that prosecutors would seek heavy penalties.</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="strongInContent"><span class="s1"> Himchan, on the other hand, is not very convincing, saying that he is sorry for the victim and that he hopes he will be punished for good behavior because there is little chance of reoffending. Even though he is undergoing a sexual assault treatment program, would a third party think that there is a low possibility of recidivism after three incidents?</span></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s1"> The former top idol not only inflicted a serious wound on the victim&#8217;s heart, but also betrayed the expectations of her fans. Even if he repeats his apologies, it will be difficult for him to regain what he has lost. The unusual trial while he is in prison will continue.</span></p>


 Keizo Mori/Afro

 A former male member of South Korea's top idol group has been sentenced to seven years in prison. This was the third time he had been indicted in an indecent assault case, which was postponed. The trouble was uncovered one after another. We would like to introduce the details of this horrifying crime.

South Korean Idol Sentenced to 7 Years for Indecent Assault

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