"The Man I Saw That Day Suddenly Attacked Me"
"Jessi, Suffering and Asking for Help"
"Don't Talk Like He's a Bad Person"
Singer Jessi appeared at the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on the night of the 16th in connection with allegations of fan assault involving her party. [Source=Yonhap News]
Nigerian-American singer Henry (HENRY) explained the fan assault incident involving Jessi's party, asserting that "Jessi did nothing wrong."
On the 28th, Henry posted a lengthy message on social media (SNS), identifying himself as "a witness who appears in the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage released on the day of the incident." He described the situation, saying, "I was invited to a cafe by friends working in the music industry and was introduced to new friends including Jessi for the first time. There were at least about 12 people, many of whom were intoxicated, but Jessi and I were sober. Fans recognized him and asked to take photos, and Jessi kindly agreed."
He continued, "A male fan approached Jessi with two friends and requested a photo. Jessi was tired because it was late and he was taking care of Koala, who was drunk, so he politely declined. However, the fan kept asking 'Why?' repeatedly." He added, "As we were about to leave, a man we met for the first time that day suddenly hit the fan. We were all shocked and confused by the unexplained violence."
Henry said, "Jessi was naturally scared and anxious. None of us personally knew this man and were taken aback by his behavior. Jessi tried hard to stop the fight from escalating, but the man did not stop." He also explained, "Jessi was distressed and called a friend for help, and we met the friend at a restaurant a block away to discuss the incident. Then the police came and asked for identification, but when the assaulted fan came in and said, 'These are not the people,' the police left." Finally, he added, "Jessi did nothing wrong. How could she have stopped crazy men she didn’t even know? We need to stop portraying Jessi as a bad person."
Earlier, in the early morning of the 29th of last month, an incident occurred in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where a minor fan was assaulted by Jessi's party after requesting a photo. On the 11th, the police summoned producer and rapper Koala (real name Heo Jae-won) as a suspect for investigation. As the controversy grew, Jessi personally requested her agency to terminate her contract. Afterwards, she repeatedly apologized on her SNS, saying, "I sincerely apologize to those who were harmed and their families due to this incident."
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