Flood of Kim Gun-mo Incident Revelations... Similarities to Park Yoo-chun Case? [Issue Check]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Allegations against singer Kim Gun-mo (52), who was investigated by the police for sexual assault, continue to surface. As suspicions pour out like a flood, the sexual assault and harassment case involving singer and actor Park Yoo-chun (34) from the past also comes to mind. Both cases show similar patterns in that various allegations emerged following the initial disclosure of sexual assault at entertainment establishments.

The suspicions against Kim began on the 6th of last month. The YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute (Gaseyeon), featuring lawyer Kang Yong-seok and others, claimed that Ms. A, who worked at an entertainment establishment in Gangnam, Seoul, in August 2016, was sexually assaulted by Kim. Subsequently, Ms. B appeared on Gaseyeon, alleging that she was assaulted by Kim at the same entertainment establishment. Recently, singer Mr. C posted on Twitter that Kim sexually harassed him by asking for a kiss during a drinking party.

Actor Park Yoochun

The Park Yoo-chun case also began with a disclosure by a female worker at an entertainment business. In June 2016, a woman appeared claiming she was sexually assaulted by Park. She filed a complaint stating that she was sexually assaulted in the restroom of a Gangnam entertainment establishment in 2015. Within a month, three more women came forward alleging sexual assault by Park. Among them, two claimed to have been assaulted at entertainment establishments, and one claimed to have been assaulted at Park’s home.

However, after a dispute over the truth, Park was cleared of sexual assault charges. Park denied all allegations and countersued the women who raised the sexual assault claims for false accusation and extortion. After about a month of investigation, the police concluded that the four reported sexual assault cases involved consensual sexual relations and sent Park to the prosecution with a recommendation not to indict. It was revealed that the woman who first accused Park of sexual assault, along with her boyfriend and gangsters, threatened Park for 500 million won in settlement money for the sexual assault claim, and the court sentenced all three to prison terms.

However, another woman whom Park sued for false accusation was acquitted of the charges. Subsequently, she filed a 100 million won damages lawsuit against Park, and in July last year, the Seoul Court Mediation Center issued a compulsory mediation decision ordering Park to pay a certain amount in compensation.

Actor Um Tae-woong (46) was also accused of sexually assaulting a massage parlor worker in 2016. At the time, Um denied the sexual assault and countersued the worker for false accusation and extortion. After disputes, Um was ultimately fined 1 million won by the court for prostitution charges, not sexual assault. On the other hand, the worker who claimed sexual assault was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for false accusation.

In the 'Kim Gun-mo sexual assault allegations' case, if the woman claiming to have been sexually assaulted fails to provide evidence or objective facts to prove the incident from three years ago, Kim may also be cleared of charges. Currently, Kim has filed defamation and false accusation charges against Ms. A, who first raised the sexual assault allegations, and defamation charges against Ms. B, who claimed to have been assaulted, and the police are conducting investigations.