"KBS Lawyer Contacted Jung Joon-young Victim"…KBS "Baseless, Requests Correction Report"

BBC Burning Sun Documentary Fallout, KBS Caught in Crossfire
"KBS Contacted Jeong Jun-young's Illegal Filming Accuser"
"Baseless, Strong Regret"... Reporter Also "Unaffected"

Amid the ripple effect caused by the documentary by BBC News Korea that reexamined the Burning Sun scandal, surpassing 3 million views just two days after its release, KBS has stated that the claim it contacted the victim's side during singer Jung Joon-young's illegal filming accusation case is "groundless."

On the 21st, KBS issued a statement saying, "KBS has never contacted the victim's side regarding Jung Joon-young, who was involved in the Burning Sun case." It added, "We express strong regret to BBC and plan to request a correction report to rectify the facts," emphasizing, "If the facts are not corrected, we will also consider legal action."

Singer Jung Joon-young during his appearance on KBS '2 Days & 1 Night'. [Image source=BBC News Korea YouTube capture]

Earlier, BBC News Korea covered the stories of journalists investigating the Burning Sun case involving Jung Joon-young, singer Seungri, and Choi Jong-hoon in 'Burning Sun: The Stories of Women Who Exposed K-pop Stars' Secret Chatrooms.' In the process, it mentioned the case where Jung Joon-young was accused in 2016 of filming parts of his then-girlfriend's body. Due to this case, Jung Joon-young left KBS's '2 Days & 1 Night,' but after the police and prosecution closed the case with no charges, he returned to the show within three months.

The documentary addressed this case, explaining, "Jung Joon-young was gaining popularity appearing on the famous TV show '2 Days & 1 Night' broadcast by KBS," and "the channel's (KBS) lawyer contacted A, the person who accused Jung Joon-young." In the next scene, reporter Park Hyo-sil, who covered the case at the time, said, "The lawyer said, 'If the evidence is insufficient, you could face a severe penalty for false accusation,'" adding, "The victim was very scared after hearing this. So, she withdrew the accusation at that time."

Jung Joon-young, accused of illegal filming, holding a press conference. [Image source=Screenshot from BBC News Korea YouTube]

After this content was revealed, some speculated that KBS might have mobilized its legal team to protect Jung Joon-young, a cast member of '2 Days & 1 Night.' In response, KBS announced its intention to request a correction and clarified that the claim is not true.

Reporter Park, who appeared in the video, also stated through an article, "'The claim that KBS's lawyer contacted A, who accused Jung Joon-young,' is not something I said," adding, "KBS was not a direct party to the Jung Joon-young case, and naturally, KBS's lawyer did not intervene to respond regarding the program cast member." She further corrected, "The 'lawyer's words' I mentioned in the interview were those of the victim's lawyer."