"Perpetrators Must Receive Appropriate Punishment"
Amid reports that a fan of singer Jessi was indiscriminately assaulted by a group after requesting a photo, Jessi stated that she "feels a moral responsibility" but drew a clear line by saying the perpetrator was "someone I met for the first time."
On the 12th, Jessi posted on her SNS, "Recently, during a private gathering with acquaintances, a fan who is a victim requested a photo, but since it was late at night, I politely declined twice," adding, "At that moment, the fan was assaulted by someone nearby whom I met for the first time that day. I was so taken aback by the sudden situation that I could not carefully consider the fan."
Singer Jessi is leaving the scene while her party is assaulting a man. [Photo by JTBC Incident Commander]
She continued, "Regardless of the circumstances, I deeply regret that the fan suffered such an unfortunate harm and feel a moral responsibility," and said, "After the incident, my agency and I have contacted the victim’s mother to ensure the victim quickly finds the perpetrator to receive an apology and compensation, and we are also making efforts to ensure the perpetrator receives appropriate punishment."
Furthermore, Jessi apologized, saying, "I sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people due to reports about the assault incident related to me," but also earnestly requested, "Please refrain from reflecting only one-sided claims or reporting based on speculation regarding this incident."
The incident was reported by JTBC’s Incident Commander the previous day. The victim, identified as A, a minor under 18 years old, spotted Jessi while heading to a convenience store in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in the early morning of the 29th of last month and requested a photo. However, Jessi declined the photo request, and afterward, a man accompanying her approached A and punched and kicked her.
Screenshot of a video showing a teenage fan being assaulted [Photo by JTBC, captured from the Incident Commander broadcast screen]
Security camera footage of the incident shows that when A approached Jessi, a man standing near Jessi aggressively approached A. Jessi, who was sitting, grabbed the man’s arm to hold him back, but another man standing nearby suddenly started punching A. Upon the assault, Jessi initially appeared confused and unsure of what to do but then took no further action and left the scene.
Through JTBC’s ‘Incident Commander,’ A said, "Jessi said, ‘No’ and ‘Sorry’ regarding the photo, so I apologized and was about to leave, but then someone walked up from the side. That person hit me in the face from behind," adding, "I was hit by a person, but Jessi did not take any particular action. I don’t know if she ran away to avoid involvement, but I was very disappointed."
When A’s mother visited Jessi’s agency in person, the agency reportedly said about the male perpetrator, "He is Chinese. He has no connection with Jessi and is someone acquainted with the producer." It is reported that the perpetrator is currently not in Korea.
When A sent a protest message to the producer, who is an acquaintance of the perpetrator, the producer apologized but replied, "Jessi does not know the person who assaulted and is not involved in this matter. Please do not keep contacting Jessi’s side and threatening them." A said, "The mental shock after being assaulted is very severe," and added, "I hope the perpetrator is caught as soon as possible." The police have reportedly received the case and requested the producer, an acquaintance of the perpetrator, to appear for questioning.
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