A former K-pop star, Jung Joon-young, has been released from Mokpo Prison in South Jeolla Province after serving five years in prison for a string of s*x crimes that included the group rape of an intoxicated woman and the distribution of illicitly filmed videos of s*xual acts.
The ex-Korean singer left the prison facility at around 5:05 a.m. on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, a day earlier than the originally scheduled release date of March 20.
Joon-young was embroiled in a high-profile spycam scandal in South Korea, resulting in his arrest and subsequent charges in March 2019. He was found guilty of participating in the gang rape of women in Hongcheon, Gangwon-do, and Daegu in January and March 2016, respectively.
Additionally, he was convicted of recording intimate encounters with women without their consent, sharing the footage, and distributing illicit sexual videos in chatrooms.
His case emerged during South Korea’s #MeToo movement, which gained momentum in 2018 when thousands of women protested in Seoul, denouncing the objectification of women. Known as the Burning Sun Scandal, it implicated several male celebrities, including BIGBANG’s Seungri, and involved allegations of sexual misconduct and collusion with authorities.
Following his admission of wrongdoing, the former K-pop idol stepped back from the entertainment industry in March 2019.
He was initially sentenced to six years in prison but had his sentence reduced to five years by the Seoul High Court in May 2020.
In his closing statement during the trial, he expressed remorse for his actions and vowed to reflect on his past mistakes.
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