BBC News Korea Releases Burning Sun Scandal Documentary
Reconstructed with Reporter and Victim Group Chat Conversations
'Group Chat' Members Seungri, Jung Joon-young, and Choi Jun-young Released After Full Sentence
A female victim involved in the so-called ‘Burning Sun Gate,’ which included singer Seungri and Jung Joon-young, has revealed her experience five years after the incident occurred. On the 19th, BBC News Korea released a documentary titled ‘Burning Sun: The Stories of Women Who Exposed K-pop Stars’ Secret Chatrooms.’ The video features journalists who covered the Burning Sun case and the voice of a woman presumed to have been a victim of rape and drugging, detailing the main events and their aftermath. This one-hour documentary has attracted attention, surpassing 900,000 views within about a day of its release.
Key figures in the Burning Sun scandal: singers Jung Joon-young, Seungri, and Choi Jong-hoon. [Image source=BBC News Korea capture]
In the documentary, a woman identified as A, a former Burning Sun customer, said that although she usually spent time with other women, one day she drank one or two glasses of alcohol given by a man and felt severely intoxicated. A told BBC, "In the bathroom, I told a younger acquaintance, ‘I think something’s wrong with me today. I feel like I’m getting drunk really fast,’ and ‘I don’t think I should drink anymore from now on.’ When I returned to my seat, I suddenly found myself lying on a bed."
A said that after being forcibly sexually assaulted by the man who gave her the drink, she begged him to let her go home. The man then threatened her, saying he would only let her go if she allowed him to take photos. A recalled, “He told me to smile, but I couldn’t. I wanted to cover my face, but he wouldn’t let me, so I just made a V sign.” She added, “I left the room in a hurry, but honestly, my memory is blurry.” Later, when A went to the police to report the sexual assault, the man presented the photos he had taken as evidence, claiming the sexual encounter was consensual, and he was allowed to leave the country.
The documentary also reconstructs the group sexual assault situation revealed through messages from the so-called ‘Jung Joon-young chatroom’ members. At that time, Jung Joon-young, Choi Jong-hoon, and other chatroom members gang-raped a heavily intoxicated woman at a hotel the night before Jung’s fan signing event in Daegu. When the intoxicated woman collapsed and hit her head, messages in the chatroom included comments like “That was scary” and “I thought she had a concussion.” However, Jung Joon-young responded with laughing emojis and remarks such as “That was really funny” and “The most fun night of my life.”
A video was also released showing Seungri raising his voice and making a threatening hand gesture as if to hit a drunken woman at a party, while pulling her somewhere. Another video showed him speaking awkwardly at a different drinking event, saying, “No matter how big Big Bang is, you have to be humble.” The documentary also revealed that the late singer Goo Hara helped with the investigation of the ‘Jung Joon-young chatroom’ case. Reporter Kang Kyung-yoon, who covered the case, said that Goo Hara played a crucial role in finding related evidence by leveraging her acquaintance with Choi Jong-hoon, a chatroom member, since their trainee days.
The key figures in the entertainment industry involved in the Burning Sun Gate have all been released after serving their sentences. Seungri was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison on nine charges, including habitual gambling, violations of the Act on the Punishment of Acts of Arranging Sexual Traffic (prostitution, mediation, filming using cameras), and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (embezzlement). He served his sentence at Yeoju Prison and was released on February 9 last year after completing his term. Choi Jong-hoon was sentenced to 5 years in the first trial but had his sentence reduced to 2 years and 6 months in the appellate court due to a settlement with the victim, and he was released in November 2021 after serving his term. Jung Joon-young was arrested and indicted in March 2019 on charges of intoxicating women and gang-raping them in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, and Daegu. After appeals, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison and was released this past March.
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