Prosecution Grants Suspended Indictment to SF9's Hwiyoung and Chanhee for 'Late-Night Birthday Party'... "Based on Case Handling Standards"

From the left, SF9 group members Hwiyoung (Kim Young-kyun) and Chani (Kang Chan-hee).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Male members of the idol group SF9 were given a suspended prosecution for holding a 'late-night birthday party' at a bar past midnight in violation of COVID-19 quarantine rules.

According to the legal community on the 26th, the Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Hyun-chul) issued a suspended prosecution for SF9 members Hwiyoung (real name Kim Young-kyun, 23) and Chani (real name Kang Chan-hee, 22), who were referred by the police on charges of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

A suspended prosecution, a type of non-prosecution disposition, means that although the charges are acknowledged, the prosecutor decides not to bring the suspect to trial after considering various circumstances.

A representative from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated, "The suspended prosecution for the two individuals was based on uniform case handling standards." This is interpreted to mean that the same criteria were applied as for other suspects booked for similar cases.

However, the representative added, "It is difficult to disclose the specific reasons for non-prosecution."

The two were caught by police around 1 a.m. on January 18th while holding a gathering with acquaintances inside a hold'em pub (a type of bar) in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, with the establishment's doors locked. At that time, quarantine rules prohibited bars and restaurants from operating from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day.

The police reported that they violated the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and referred the case to the prosecution without detention.