In a significant development, ex-K-pop sensation Jung Joon-young was released from prison on Tuesday after completing a five-year term for involvement in gang rape and unauthorized filming, marking a prominent chapter in South Korea’s spycam controversies.
Jung was convicted of committing rape twice in 2016 and of surreptitiously recording his intimate encounters with women without their knowledge, subsequently distributing the footage without their consent.
The term “molka” in Korean refers to the illicit practice of secretly filming women in various settings such as schools and restrooms, although it can also encompass covertly recorded consensual sexual acts.
Jung’s case was part of a series of high-profile scandals involving male celebrities during South Korea’s #MeToo movement, characterized by extensive protests in Seoul in 2018, with demonstrators vocally asserting, “My life is not your porn.”
Another K-pop luminary, Seungri, formerly associated with the popular boyband BigBang, was found to have received Jung’s illicit videos. Seungri later faced multiple charges stemming from a scandal involving sex and drug-related activities at his Burning Sun nightclub.
Exiting the prison in Mokpo, approximately 350 kilometers (218 miles) south of Seoul, Jung, 35, wore a black hat and mask, opting not to engage with the media present on Tuesday morning, as reported by News1 agency.
Jung initially gained fame in 2012 as the third-place contestant on the talent show “Super Star K” and enjoyed success with solo music releases before his involvement in the spycam scandal surfaced in early 2019, prompting his withdrawal from the entertainment industry.
While the rape allegations had not yet surfaced at the time of his retirement, Jung acknowledged having committed unforgivable acts.
Tragically, former Kara group member Goo Hara took her own life in 2019 after being subjected to blackmail involving “revenge porn” by an ex-partner.
Moreover, South Korean footballer Hwang Ui-jo, currently on loan from Nottingham Forest to Turkish club Alanyaspor, is currently under investigation for allegedly filming sexual encounters without consent, a claim he vehemently denies.
